Work for idle hands to do
by evenhisfacewasanalias
Summary: Inspired by the scene in Manly Whatnots where Lucifer catches Chloe coming out of the shower, this time he stumbles in on her in during an intimate moment. Begins there and continues with them growing closer. Equal parts fluff and smut.
1. Chapter 1

It's strangely disorienting to wake of her own volition. No blaring alarm clock, no overeager 7-year-old jumping in the bed with her to remind her of the hour. It's a rare day off from work, and with Trixie at Dan's for the weekend, there's really nothing keeping her from enjoying a lie-in. Ignoring the sunlight sneaking in through the open bedroom door, Chloe lets herself snuggle back into the covers, fully prepared to appreciate some extra rest.

She barely makes it five minutes. Now that she's awake she can't seem to get comfortable, and she's certainly not going to be able to fall back asleep. This is supposed to be relaxing but instead she's just…tense. It's not guilt - she's not neglecting any responsibilities, and she can certainly recognize that she needs this. She just feels wound too tightly to actually let herself enjoy this.

Chloe considers her options. A long bath might help her loosen up, or a morning run might wear her out. But both require leaving the bed and that sort of defeats the whole purpose. There's one other possibility, however…

It's been a very long time since she's done this. Between her insane job and having a small child running around, she doesn't exactly have a lot of time alone. And apparently she's been neglecting herself for far too long, if this tension she's feeling now is the result. Well, no time like the present...

It takes several minutes to remember how to even start. She chooses something simple - a lazy Saturday morning fantasy with 1980s Rob Lowe. Safe, familiar. Easy.

Chloe pictures the shower scene from The Outsiders, and oh god how old was he even in that movie? Apparently her Mom knew him, so he couldn't be that young, at least. But she's letting herself get distracted. Rob Lowe. Shower.

Her hands begin to move slowly, over her arms and stomach, slipping below her thin top. No rush, she has all the time she needs. But apparently her body has other ideas, and before she knows it one hand has already snuck into her sleep pants, without her consciously doing so. Chloe's not complaining though, muscle memory is a wonderful thing. Her hand is warm and applying just the right amount of pressure as she cups herself over her panties, and some of that restless energy finally seems to leave her, only to be replaced by a different kind of tension - a far more pleasant kind. At least she's finally able to relax back into the sheets, all that tension pooled into a single point between her thighs.

Fingers shift to tease beneath soft cotton, and she imagines them belonging to a broader hand, rougher. In her mind she's about to join Rob Lowe in the shower, and awkwardly kicks off her pants and underwear in a graceless series of movements she mentally corrects for the purpose of her fantasy. She considers slipping out her tank top as well, but right now she's really enjoying the way it's brushing against her peaked nipples, and anyway her hands are pretty busy right now. Two fingers are already sliding inside her as fantasy Chloe steps into the shower.

 _'What's the rush? We have all morning, love.'_

Chloe jolts at that. What the hell? Since when did Rob Lowe have a British accent? With a groan she realizes that somehow her annoying new friend and the constant source of stress in her life has somehow even barged into her fantasies. Where did that even come from?

And of course she objectively knows the man is attractive - he may drive her crazy but she's not blind. Tall, dark, and with that voice to boot? It's just too bad about the personality, she thinks. He's arrogant, crude, and in all likelihood, clinically insane. Even if he is helpful, and strangely more honest than most of the men in her life, he's still a pain in the ass. But somehow he's wormed his way into every other aspect of Chloe's waking life, so it just figures that he'd even come in and ruin a perfectly good fantasy.

Chloe purposely ignores the fact that her fingers have not ceased in their motions since she began her little mental rant listing all of Lucifer's shortcomings. Apparently her annoyance with him has done nothing to dampen her arousal. If anything, she's grown even more slick imagining Lucifer and his stupid face.

Recognizing how messed up the whole situation is, she tries to return to her previous fantasy. Safe. Easy. And apparently no longer satisfying. Chloe manages to convince herself that there's nothing wrong with her imagined scenario, that she simply needs a little more stimulation to get there.

Her trusty rabbit vibe is tucked away in the nightstand in a box labeled 'receipts', which she hopes will keep it safely hidden from prying 7 year-olds. She flicks the on switch to test the vibrations, thankful that at least the batteries are still good. She honestly can't remember the last time it left its box. Right now though even the soft buzzing against her hand is enough to get her excited.

She begins by circling her clit a few times on the lowest vibration setting, and it's easier now to slip back into the fantasy. She imagines her back pressed against cool shower tiles as he finally slides into her, enjoying the pleasant stretch of unused muscles. Another press of a button and it almost feels like a slow thrust, the gentle pulsing of vibrations inside her. Shower sex is never like this, slow and perfect and absolutely no risk of slipping and falling, but that's what fantasies are for. And if her dream lover's eyes are suddenly brown instead of blue, his voice deeper as he holds her up with deceptive strength, well then, it's not real anyway. She's so lost in her thoughts that she misses the sound of the front door closing.

"Detective Decker, it's after 10, where are…well well well. What do we have here?"

With a speed she would not have believed possible until this moment, Chloe simultaneously scrambles to switch off the vibrator and yank the sheets up to cover her chest. Lucifer had probably already gotten an eyeful of her too thin tank top (that and so much more, her brain unhelpfully reminds her), but it's the best she can manage to restore a little of her dignity in the moment. Lucifer himself seems completely unruffled, of course, smugly leaning against the doorframe.

"Lucifer, what the hell are you doing here?" Her voice is still too shaky to carry any real threat, and it's clear from Lucifer's expression that he simply finds her indignation endearing. She does her best to ignore the fact that sitting up has shifted the toy inside of her to an awkward angle, the outer arm pressed firmly against where she's most sensitive.

"I came to see if we had a case, but it seems you have everything in hand." He grins, rather infuriatingly, at his own joke. Chloe chooses to ignore that last bit and focus on the absurd reason he's given for intruding on her private time.

" _We_ don't have a case - I'm the cop here and it just happens to be my day off. You'll have to go harass some other detective into living out your little Miami Vice fantasy."

"Detective, I'm wounded! You know I'd never leave you for another officer. Besides, I'm far more interested in your fantasies right now. Just what were you thinking about? Were you thinking about me? Tell me all of your deepest desires."

She's seen him do this a dozen times before - to suspects, to witnesses, to random strangers, most of them attractive. And somehow it always seems to work for him, even though it seems patently ridiculous to her. And right now god himself couldn't get her to admit what she had been thinking about, even by accident. Though to deny it now would only confirm his taunting.

"Well, if you really want to know…" She lets her face soften a bit, fists loosening enough to allow the sheet to reveal her neck and shoulders. "I was dreaming of a house, a miraculous house with doors that locked and prevented degenerate club owners from barging in whenever they pleased." Her glare has returned full force by the end of her speech.

"Then by all means, continue imagining your impenetrable little dream house, or whatever it was you were doing before I arrived."

Chloe wasn't sure what was worse, Lucifer's unsubtle glances towards her covered body, or the way that his voice rolling over the word 'impenetrable' makes her shudder imperceptibly. Well, imperceptibly to anyone other than her infuriating intruder. Her eyes narrow as his grin grows even wider - he obviously noticed. The staring contest lasts much longer than she is willing to admit to, but finally her exasperation wins out over her need to beat him at such a ridiculous game, and she allows her eyes to fall closed with a sigh. Opening them once more, she nods towards the door.

"Well?" Lucifer just shakes his head at the command.

"You're not bothering me." Somehow his smile manages to make him look like an excited little boy at the same time it makes him look like a complete lech. The overall effect is strangely attractive and not at all helping with Chloe's situation.

"Why are you even still here?" She demands.

"I'd think that would be rather obvious, Detective."

"Do you really think I'm about to do… _that_ …with you standing right there?"

"Why not? It might actually help, giving form to the fantasy and all. Help you release a little of that pent up frustration." She shoots him a cold look. "I'm very willing to lend a helping hand. Metaphorically, if you'd prefer. I'll just stand here and… _inspire you_." Still leaning against the doorframe, he waves a hand over his 'form'.

"The only thing you're inspiring right now is a migraine." She refuses to admit that his offer is sending a fresh wave of heat to pool low in her belly. The idea of him just watching her, spurring her on with that rumbling voice of his, is not entirely unappealing.

"Come on, let yourself be a little bad for once."

If he had actually been daring her to do it, she might have been able to ignore his challenge. But he is merely teasing, trying to see just how far he can push before she draws her gun and forces him out of the room. And she can't deny she's considering it, just reaching behind the mattress to where she's stashed her sidearm. But even with a gun pointed at him he'd still be so smug about the whole thing - not only for catching her in such a unguarded moment, but also for knowing exactly how she'd react to his teasing. And she doesn't want to give him the satisfaction. In fact, she'd like to be the one leaving satisfied, just this once. Even still, she's surprised at what she says next.

"Fine."

Mind apparently already made up, she gathers up her courage for what could prove to be a spectacularly bad idea. But she can't think about that now. Instead she focuses on the renewed throbbing between her legs, how easy it would be to just pick up where she left off. She allows the covers to slip down from where she has them bunched around her neck, easing herself back into the pillows behind her as her hands drift back down to where they toy still remains inside her.

Her eyes flutter shut with a flick of the on switch, but not quickly enough to miss the way Lucifer's jaw nearly drops at the sight of her. 'Be careful what you wish for', she almost wants to say.

She debates whether to put on a bit of a show, or whether to simply keep silent and ignore him completely, trying to decide which would frustrate the man in front of her more. But her body makes the decision for her, reacting automatically to both the renewed stimulation and the added sensation of being watched. She is helpless to prevent the way her hips buck ever so slightly against the toy, or the small noises that escape her lips with each breath. Each movement shifts the covers further down her torso, exposing the hard points of her nipples as they strain against her tank top. But as her free hand shifts up she makes no move to cover herself this time, merely grasping the edge of her pillow as she arches into a particularly strong pulse, legs falling open even further.

It's several long moments before she works up the courage to open her eyes again, but the sight that greets her is not one she had anticipated. Gone is Lucifer's smug grin, something she had always believed was a permanent fixture of his face. In its place is an almost pained grimace, which may have something to do with way he's gripping her doorframe with bloodless knuckles, struggling with the effort to remain at a distance. Apparently his promise to stay there had been genuine, and something in her chest tightens a little at how hard he's working to keep her trust. Like it actually means something to him.

Chloe doesn't really understand Lucifer's obsession with her, why he focuses so much of his attention on her. There's clearly no lack of attractive women (or men) throwing themselves at him on a daily basis. Maybe he just likes the challenge? But no, that doesn't explain risking his own life to save her's. And it doesn't explain the way he's watching her now. It's pretty obvious that if he walked over here right now she wouldn't turn him away, but he keeps his distance, taking no more than what is offered. It's strange to realize that she feels oddly safe with Lucifer. Even though he's absolutely maddening, and probably more than a little deranged, she knows he'd never let her come to any harm if he could help it. If anything, she's more worried about him being a little overzealous in trying to defend her.

So she lets herself enjoy it, the feel of him watching her in this moment, knowing it will go no further unless she asks for it. And she won't, at least not today. But it's heady, having this kind of power over him. How easily she's reduced the normally garrulous man into a strained silence. She had half-expected him to start offering up filthy suggestions the second she had given in, especially considering the non-stop innuendos in every other interaction he's had with her. But this is so much better. His attention is finally focused for once - all on her, this time - and he's no longer hiding behind his clever remarks. Their eyes meet and it's impossible to let go of his raw gaze. Even though her eyes try to flutter shut at the increased pace of her hand and the vibrations, she keeps them open as long as she can, not wanting to miss any of his response. There's no need for fantasy now, not with him standing right in front of her.

His breathing has grown heavy, loud enough in the small room to hear over her own shaky gasps. It's obvious he's straining against his well-tailored slacks, but he makes no move to relieve the pressure, even though at this point he has to be pretty uncomfortable. Chloe takes a moment to imagine what's beneath those trousers, and feels an echoing tension building within her. He's certainly bigger than any of her toys, and the involuntary clench of her internal muscles reminds her she's a bit out of practice.

The rabbit's not even at the highest setting, but already she can feel herself getting close. She feels wound so tight she's almost certain she'll shatter before she makes it over the precipice. Her eyes refuse to stay open any longer, but the image of Lucifer's hungry gaze doesn't leave her. Her whole body is shaking with the intensity of what's happening, and she's lost all control of the sounds coming out of her mouth. She thinks a breathless _'Lucifer'_ may have slipped out towards the end, and the deep groan she hears in response both confirms her suspicions and sends her shuddering into her release.

She allows herself a few moments to luxuriate in the afterglow. Her entire body feels pleasantly boneless, and it'd be so easy to go back to sleep right now. So it seems her original plan was a rousing success. But Lucifer is still standing there in her doorway, and going back to sleep right now would be rude. Not that he doesn't normally deserve it, but she's feeling generous. She still manages to tug her pajama pants back on before climbing out of bed, because she's not feeling _that_ generous. Nevertheless, his eyes grow wide as she approaches, and she can see the beginning of a smile returning to his face.

"Since you're here, I guess we can look over some ongoing cases. If you're up to it, that is." She teases, even daring to glance down for a moment. Lucifer's smile returns full force.

"Oh I'm very up. For _anything_." He's practically purring, and even the blatant innuendo doesn't annoy her like it normally would.

"Good, then you can make us breakfast."

"As you wish, Detective."


	2. Chapter 2

They don't talk about what happened. Chloe had pretty much expected an endless amount of teasing about her little lapse in professionalism, but if anything Lucifer has actually toned it down on the aggressive flirting. Of course he still can't resist the opportunity for any sort of sexual or devil-related innuendo, but that's just Lucifer's default setting, apparently. He's completely dropped his very vocal insistence on getting into her pants, which Chloe is generally grateful for but at the same time it almost comes as a disappointment. Was this all he really wanted? For her to give in? To prove that he was irresistible, even to her?

After that morning he had all but disappeared, leading her to believe the worst. He had stuck around for breakfast at least, going over case files and helping her discover previously unnoticed connections, but then Dan had called about bringing Trixie home early and Lucifer had vanished. Not literally, of course. He made his excuses about needing to attend to club business, and that was the last she heard from him for several days. Chloe even tried to call him a few times - and based on her call log, Trixie had attempted to do the same - but she never made it past Maze, who insisted that Lucifer was perfectly fine and had better things to do than play cop with her. By the time Monday rolled around, Chloe had come to accept the fact that Lucifer was avoiding her, and tried to convince herself that at least things could finally go back to normal.

On Wednesday he showed up at her door with coffee, like nothing had happened. She considered calling him out on his weird behavior, but that would mean bringing up _her_ weird behavior, and it was easier just to ignore it. And honestly she kind of likes the new and somewhat improved Lucifer that's shown up. It's been nearly two weeks now since he returned to helping her, and he is still a little too danger-friendly for her peace of mind, but he seems far less inclined to put _her_ in the line of fire - which is something, at least. And he had stopped with his over-the-top seduction attempts, also an improvement, she thinks. It should have meant he was less of a distraction, but somehow the new Lucifer is even worse. Or maybe it's just her? Ever since that morning she's become painfully aware of his presence. Has he always kept so close to her? Now she can feel the heat of him and know he's standing right behind her, ready to back her up in case this interrogation goes wrong. Or sitting on the couch at a witness's home, she can't ignore the feel of his knee pressed against her leg, or the way his whispered asides tickle below her jaw.

The whispering thing is also new - something he does now instead of loudly announcing his theories in front of potential suspects. And it's great for solving crimes, but it's terrible for her libido. Now she can't help imagining him whispering dirty things to her in that rumbling accent of his. She had earned his stunned silence before, and that was satisfying in its own way, but now she wanted his voice. The detective had even caught herself leaning into him during these whispered conversations on more than one occasion and decided that this was getting out of hand. She clearly needed to get laid, or at least go out on a real date. And then she could stop fantasizing about her errant partner and get back to work.

So when the new transfer asks her out for drinks, she doesn't hesitate to say yes.

* * *

"You're _what_?"

"I'm going out for drinks with a coworker, and I'm asking you to watch Trixie since it's a school night and I don't want her up late. If that's not too much to ask." Chloe rolls her eyes at Dan's reaction. They've been separated for months but he still acts like he has any say in what she does with her free time.

"You really expect me to just say nothing about you going on a date with Lucifer?" His jaw is clenched and his nostrils are flared and at times like these Chloe can't remember what she ever saw in him.

"Detective Warren, actually, and yes I do expect you to say nothing because it's none of your business who I date."

"But it's my business who you let into our daughter's life!"

"It's just drinks, Dan. Drinks with the one person in this department who doesn't already hate me." Now she's just getting frustrated, when she had actually been a little excited a few minutes ago.

"And you really think dating another officer will help you here?" The worst part is he thinks he's protecting her, that she even needs his protection. There's no point in trying to argue with him when he gets like this.

"I have work to do, Dan. I'll drop Trixie off at 7:30." With that she turns on her heel and leaves, before she can say something worse.

* * *

"But I thought you liked Lucifer?" Chloe will never understand Trixie's overt fondness for Lucifer, a man who seems genuinely bewildered by the presence of children, or her preternatural ability to see right through her mother. Not that she liked Lucifer, not in that sense, even if they were on mostly friendly terms. He had just reminded her what she had been missing as of late. But tonight she isn't thinking about him at all. She is thinking about what to wear for drinks, and it's really been way too long since she's had to dress for anything but work.

"Lucifer's just a friend, sweetie." She's certainly not about to try and explain her weird relationship with Lucifer to her daughter. It's bad enough Trixie has insisted on knowing every detail about her plans for this evening, and is now perched on Chloe's bed to help her pick an outfit.

"So he's a friend now?" Chloe realizes too late that she's somehow fallen into the trap of a 7 year-old.

"Yes, _just_ a friend."

"That's not what you called him before…" Chloe worries that Lucifer's smugness may somehow be rubbing off on her little girl. She doesn't even know why they're still having this conversation. But she can't seem to stop herself from asking.

"Oh yeah, what did I call him before?"

"An asshole!" Trixie beams in response.

"Beatrice Decker! Language!"

"Sorry, mommy." She doesn't look the least bit sorry, but Chloe is willing to let it slide this once. It's her own fault for not watching herself in front of her daughter. She tries to get them back on track, pulling out a nice-ish blouse and dark pantsuit from the closet.

"What about this?"

Trixie's face is nothing if not honest, pinching up like someone just offered her brussel sprouts for dessert. Chloe sighs and puts the pantsuit back, pulling out a pencil skirt instead. Trixie looks thoughtful for a moment but shakes her head after some consideration. Chloe reaches deeper into the closet to pull out a black sheath dress, holding it front of herself with a hopeful look towards her mini-fashion consultant.

"But you wore it to Aunt Helen's funeral! You can't wear that!" Trixie clearly doesn't understand the idea of a ubiquitous black dress, but her horrified look is enough to send the dress back to the closet.

"What about the blue one?"

It takes Chloe a few moments to remember what Trixie is referring to. She finds it at the very back of her closet, a remnant of the last time she had attempted to re-enter the dating scene, a generally underwhelming experiment. This dress was certainly not at fault for her lackluster results, however. Deep blue and made of some sort of silky fabric, it has long sleeves and a skirt that's just short enough to be sexy without being entirely unprofessional. At least if you're looking at the front of the dress. The back dips low enough that there's absolutely no possibility of getting a bra under there without the straps showing. Thankfully she won't need one with this, and none of her 'date-appropriate' underwear will create panty lines. Trixie seems to consider the decision already made, and is rooting through her shoe collection to unearth a pair of strappy heels. She further insists that Chloe wear her hair swept to the side to better show off the back of the dress. Chloe tells herself that she'll simply move it back after she drops off Trixie, but never actually brings herself to do so.

* * *

Of the hundreds of bars in LA, somehow Jack has decided that Lux is the place to meet for drinks. She's not sure if the new detective knows the club's reputation, though perhaps he _does_ , but she can't really come up with a good reason to go somewhere else, so here they are. If he's surprised that the bouncer lets Chloe, and himself by proxy, to the front of the line, he doesn't say anything. Just tells her how excited he is to see a bit of LA's nightlife as they seat themselves at an out of the way table and then proceeds to tell her all about the last place he worked.

Detective Jack Warren had just transferred to the LA branch from some tiny desert town in New Mexico with more UFO sightings than actual residents, and that's probably the most interesting thing she's found out about him. But he's nice, and polite, and they mostly talk about work - apparently the only thing they really have in common. Overall, it's not a terrible way to spend an evening, even if it doesn't quite scratch the itch.

And speak of the devil. Chloe never really understood that phrase, but it feels apt for the way she can suddenly feel his presence even before she sees him approach.

"Detective! I didn't know you'd be gracing my little nightclub this evening. Here to interrogate my patrons again?" His hand rests on the back of her chair as he leans in towards their table, making her very aware of his towering presence.

At first she thinks he's teasing her, because surely he realizes she's on a date. Except no he doesn't, because why would he? This isn't exactly a regular thing for her, nor is she calling up Lucifer every evening to gossip about her day. That would be weird. This is weird, telling him now. She's not sure how to start, or why it's so hard to say the words 'this is my date'. Jack thankfully spares her some of the awkwardness.

"Detective Jack Warren, Chloe and I work together." He even puts out his hand to shake Lucifer's, all politeness and sincerity. "How do you two know each other?"

Chloe is certain that she's just imagining the brief look of hurt that crosses Lucifer's face. But it passes just as quickly, and that troubling grin is back in place. "I'm a bit of a detective myself, actually. Miss Decker and I make quite the team."

Chloe has turned to look at Jack for his response, but she can still feel Lucifer's gaze burning into her.

"Oh, so you're that consultant guy they were talking about. Is your name really Lucifer?" This kid is just completely guileless, Chloe thinks to herself.

"Lucifer Morningstar - fallen angel and delinquent ruler of Hell, at your service." Lucifer finishes off this completely unnecessary introduction with an elaborate flourish of his free hand, leaving Jack looking confused and Chloe feeling completely ridiculous. It's not like everyone else in the department doesn't already think she's a joke, and here Lucifer is just proving them right in front of the new guy.

"What…?"

"Well, I suppose I should leave you two to it. Enjoy the rest of your date. Pleasure to meet you, Jack. Detective Decker," he nods to her, before straightening up, "love the dress." As his hand slips from the back of her seat, a single blunt knuckle traces the line of her back where it's exposed by the dress. His touch is like a live wire, the barest brush of his skin leaving her whole body feeling over-sensitized and so very aware. It's all she can do to keep from arching her back in response, praying that no one notices the way her nipples have tightened beneath the smooth fabric of her dress. Jack appears blessedly unaware of what has just taken place, apparently still stuck on what Lucifer has just said.

* * *

Chloe is almost thankful when shortly afterwards Detective Warren suggests they call it a night. The evening had become increasingly awkward after Lucifer's visit, and it was fairly obvious that Jack was pretty uncomfortable with the whole thing. But despite all this, he still insisted on making sure she got home alright, and was very courteous in his goodbyes, though he certainly wasn't angling for things to go any further. He was a decent guy at least, which was somewhat of a rare find in Chloe's world as of late. Even if he did now think she associated with crazy people, he didn't seem like the type to use it against her. Which just pisses her off even more. Not at Jack, of course, or at herself. At Lucifer.

Why'd he have to go and ruin her date? When they were having a perfectly nice evening! She conveniently ignores the fact that it was barely a date, and they were having a tepid evening at best. It didn't mean that Lucifer could just barge in as he pleased and scare the poor guy off!

Chloe realizes she had been pacing her apartment for the past ten minutes, fuming at Lucifer and working herself up, when he should be the one having the miserable evening. She resolves to fix that immediately. Reaching for her phone, she quickly dials Lucifer's number and steels herself for getting past Maze's rude evasions. Her surprise at reaching Lucifer directly is almost great enough to make her forget what she means to say. But he quickly reminds her.

"Detective! Missing me already? I'm touched, really."

"Lucifer, what the hell is your game?" She nearly shouts in the empty house.

"And just what are you accusing me of this time?"

"For telling my date you were the devil!"

"But I am, as I've been trying to tell you this whole…" Chloe cuts him off.

"It's one thing to say that kind of crap to me, but I have to work with these people! The things you say to them reflect back on me!"

"Why are you so concerned with what they think of me? Or do you just not want them to think you're some kind of Queen of Darkness? Ooh, I like that. Has a nice ring to it, doesn't it?" His irreverent banter is back to grating on her nerves.

"I'm not your Queen! I'm not your anything! I was on a date tonight, with a nice normal guy, in case you somehow missed it!"

"I certainly didn't miss anything. Such as the fact that your supposed date seems to have brought you back home at a very unsatisfactory hour."

"And just what exactly is wrong with this hour?" She sees it again, far too late, herself falling into another stupid trap. Only this time it's not set by her adorably precocious daughter, but by the most infuriating man in LA. A population that also includes her ex-husband.

"You left my club a mere half hour ago. Even granting you the shortest possible travel time, that means he couldn't have been there for more than 15 minutes. That doesn't sound very satisfying to me."

"I am perfectly well satisfied!" She can't believe what's she saying, "Not that it's any of your business!" She's somehow found her way to her bedroom, and is currently taking out her aggression by throwing her high heels across the room into the closet.

"Oh Detective." He says this so gently it could almost be considered affectionate if it weren't so condescending. "First of all, it is my business. A tense detective is a careless one, and I need you in top form if we are going to track down all of the bad guys in this city. And secondly, you are not satisfied. That much is very obvious."

"And just what do you think would make me satisfied?" Oh god what is coming out of her mouth? Why does she always let him get under skin like this?

"Detective, where are you right now?" Chloe suddenly wonders if he's planning to come visit again, and if there's about to be a repeat of the last time he came to her house. She's not sure whether she's hoping for it or dreading it.

"I'm at my house."

"I'm quite aware, Detective. I meant where are you in your house?" Chloe hesitates to tell him, reminded again of what previously took place in this room.

"Are you in your bedroom now?"

"…Yes."

"Good. I want you to lay back on your bed."

"No! This conversation ends now, Lucifer."

"You can stop this conversation whenever you'd like, Detective. But you still haven't hung up, so I'll take that as a sign you're not quite ready to end this. Now lay back, get comfortable."

And she can blame it on curiosity, or even just exhaustion, but she does what he requests. After the night she's had it's quite a relief just to lie down, and good bit of her anger seems to dissipate as she presses back into the softness of the mattress. Her head isn't even on the pillow but she doesn't bother moving.

"There we are, good girl." He must have heard the rustling of the sheets, and it's only now that she notices the absence of background noises from his end. He must also be at home. She tries not to think too hard about exactly where he might be at this moment. He keeps speaking though, making it easier not to think too hard about any of this. "I want you to take your free hand and place it on your stomach. And then I want you to take a deep breath, feeling it as it fills your belly, and then slowly exhale."

She finds herself obeying, feeling more of the tension drain from her body with an extended exhale. She does it twice more for good measure. In the end she's a little more relaxed than when she began, but she wouldn't exactly call this satisfied.

"So this is your big plan? Having me do yoga breathing?"

"No, that was so you would calm down enough for me to tell you this next part." He pauses for a moment, "I want you to touch yourself."

She wants to be angry at him for this, to just yell and hang up and have this whole surreal conversation over with. But the breathing really did help, and she can't quite summon up her usual fury right now. And despite the filthy promise of his voice, he's almost polite in his wording, and it gives her pause.

He isn't wrong, _per se_. Chloe hasn't had any relief of that sort since his little impromptu visit to her bedroom, and the two weeks that have passed since that morning seem to have stretched out interminably longer in her memory. But that first time was as much about proving him wrong as it was about getting off, and this time letting herself have this would also mean letting him win. And she's not about to give in without getting back a little of her own first. She wants him just as frustrated as he's made her, and that means keeping her cool. For now, at least.

"It's certainly not your worst idea, but then I will need to hang up the phone and…"

"No!" Lucifer nearly growls in response. Chloe finds herself grinning at gaining such an easy victory so early.

"No? I think I can handle this part on my own, and surely I'd need my hands free?" She jokes, not quite willing to give up the game just yet.

"I'd prefer you stay on the line a little longer, Detective." Comes the somewhat strained response.

"And why is that?"

"Because the rest of the night has bored me and this is at least mildly amusing?" Lucifer has always prided himself on his honestly, but Chloe knows how easy it is to hide the truth behind a rhetorical question.

"Hmm, wrong answer. Surely you can do better than that?" It's surprisingly easy to talk to him like this - with the barrier of the phone line between them, she can almost pretend there will be no repercussions to whatever she says. Apparently Lucifer feels much the same because his next words are surprising candid.

"Detective, you are not the only here in need of…relief."

"Is that so?"

"Do not play coy with me." There is a hard edge to his voice, but it doesn't frighten her. It actually thrills her a little to know she's gotten to him like this, and it gives her courage. He continues on, equal parts scolding and seductive. "You are temptation itself, and yet you taunt me with what I cannot have. And here I thought _I_ was the devil."

Chloe surprises both of them by laughing, giggling even, at his terrible pun - if you could even call it that. The absurdity of this situation certainly merits her laughter, but more than that it's the sudden freedom she feels at Lucifer's confession. He's admitted that wants her, actually wants her, and not just to prove he can have her. He's stripped himself of the role of the cynical playboy set after some new challenge, and revealed himself as just a normal man with a bit of a crush. Well, normal might be pushing it, but the fact that he's more than a little into her is pretty apparent. Which means he also has something to lose here, and that evens things up a little between them in her mind. Makes letting herself have this a little easier, even as it suddenly matters in a way it hadn't before. Chloe takes a few minutes to catch her breath after laughing harder than she has in a good long while, before putting on her best serious voice.

"Alright, then what do you want me to do about it?" Once again her voice is breathier than she intends, but this time she fully appreciates the effect it has on him. She can hear Lucifer on the other end drawing in a sudden breath, and she's pleased that she has once again caught him off guard. But he returns to form quickly enough.

"I think I've made that perfectly clear, Detective." And there's that voice that's been teasing at her ear for weeks now.

"And are you planning to just sit there and listen?" She wants to know how far he intends to go with this, and whether she's the only one who will be so intimately exposed.

"I plan to do a great deal more than that, granted you're willing of course." Chloe can almost hear his grin coming through the phone. She also notices that his own breathing is not entirely unaffected by this line of conversation.

"I'm still not going to sleep with you." It's important that she reminds him of this, now, before he starts thinking she's agreeing to anything more than a little shared relief. As it is, this could still have the potential to be a terrible decision.

"Then it's a good thing I'm not asking you to right now." It's blatantly obvious from his tone that they'll be revisiting this discussion in the future. "Now go on then, put your phone on speaker and let those devious little hands wander. I'm assuming a video chat is out of the question?"

Chloe actually considers this, weighs the pros of seeing…whatever it is he's doing now, against the obvious cons of him seeing too much. She thinks about hiding beneath the covers again, but that sort of defeats the purpose. And with nothing but his voice present, this whole thing doesn't feel quite so real, and she's enjoying the dreamlike quality of the moment. She shakes her head no before remembering to say it out loud, directed to where her phone now rests a few inches to her side.

"A photo then? I show you mine and you show me your's?" Chloe actually groans at the cheesy line, but it helps that he sounds as ridiculous as she feels.

"Not on your life, buddy." Her words are harsh but her tone is teasing.

"I'll just have to rely on my memory to fill in the blanks then." Her face heats up at the idea of what his memory is conjuring up right now, as well as the realization that she now has her own memories to fuel her imagination. No matter how quickly she had looked away, his attempt to even things up between them had left her with a pretty good idea what he looked like under those expensive suits. At the time she was more focused on the scars on his back, but now she's remembering…other aspects of him. She imagines right now that he's still impeccably dressed in his clothes from this evening, but that he's taken his jacket off to roll up his sleeves over strong forearms. She almost considers asking him about this but that just seems beyond corny. Apparently not too corny for the prince of darkness, however.

"Are you still wearing that lovely blue dress, Detective? Or perhaps you've already slipped into that delightfully sheer little number from the other morning." Chloe had never thought of her threadbare pajamas as anything particularly enticing before, but Lucifer has an apparent gift for making anything sound sexy. A gift she herself lacks - she's never been one for talking during sex, and she suddenly feels woefully out of her depth with this whole thing. Thankfully Lucifer doesn't expect her to answer, or offer up any kind of response, as he continues speaking.

"Though your dress this evening didn't hide much either - don't think I couldn't see just how deliciously you reacted to my touch tonight. Though I can't imagine your tedious little friend had reason to notice how flimsy your dress was. It was all I could do not to take you right there in front of him, and show that insipid mortal what he could never dream of having."

Chloe still hasn't completely forgiven Lucifer for his rude behavior this evening, but knowing that it was born out of jealousy fills her with a odd sense of pride. There's no way she's willing to admit to this, however, nor will she describe to him the way her hands have drifted up to cup her breasts through the silky material of her dress. She arches into the touch, imagining it's Lucifer's hands instead.

"Perhaps, on second thought, I'd rather not share you with any of those lesser beings that fill my club. We'd have more privacy just upstairs - surely you recall visiting my apartment? I think you'd find my bed far more comfortable than the bar, and the view up there is a much more appropriate backdrop for making the beast with two backs."

Chloe groans at the euphemism, but he's got her thinking about what she saw at his apartment - quite the view, indeed. One hand is already tugging her skirt higher, teasing along her thighs while the other continues brushing across taught nipples. She knows the sounds she's making now are loud enough for him to hear, and his own uneven breathing can easily be heard on her end.

"Are you…?" It's as much as she can bring herself to ask.

"Yes," he hisses back, and she can almost feel his voice thrumming through her entire body. She can no longer resist trailing the hand at her hem to where she most needs it. A single finger makes its way beneath the delicate fabric of her underwear to slip inside her, the heel of her hand providing the perfect the perfect counterpoint against her clit. "And what about you, Detective? Has your hand found it's way into your knickers? How many fingers do you have in that gorgeous quim?"

"Just the one." She breathes in response.

"Only one? That won't do at all." She almost laughs at how he sounds almost petulant, even though his words are coming out shakier now. "How about we try for two, shall we?."

It's not a command but she obeys all the same. He's speaking as though he's there with her, asking her if she can take in two of his own fingers. His are long and surprisingly elegant, the hands of a piano player, and she can't deny that she may have fantasized about them once or twice in the past two weeks. Right now she's imagining them inside of her, stretching her perfectly. At this rate she's not going to last long, and from the sound of it, neither is he.

"It might please you to know I haven't had need to take myself in hand for many eons, but this is what you do to me, Detective…"

Normally she'd be rolling her eyes at the 'eons' comment but she's off guard caught by the honesty contained within rest of his statement. She realizes she hasn't seen him sneak off with any of his admirers in quite some time, and while that didn't necessarily mean he hasn't been picking anyone up in his downtime, right now he's chosen to have semi-awkward phone sex with her instead of actual sex with any number of willing partners. And she has no idea why he's picked her, or what any of this means, but it's strangely flattering. And very sexy. Her hand speeds up of its own will, and she moans as each thrust of her fingers brush over the perfect spot inside her, only to hear an answering moan from the other end.

"If only I could witness you right now, falling apart beneath me…"

"Can't you just…'appear'…wherever you want?" She half-teases, amazed at herself for managing to get the words out. She almost wishes he really did have the power to teleport into her bedroom right about now.

"Don't tempt me." He groans.

"I thought that was the point?"

Those are the last real words she's able to get out before all that escapes her mouth are sounds of pleasure. Even Lucifer has ceased speaking, though the sounds that make their way to her ears paint a very vivid picture of just what he's doing. She can tell he's close. She's nearly there herself, needing just another little push to get there. Almost as if sensing her need, Lucifer speaks once more.

"I want you to come for me, Chloe."

It's the first time he's called her by name this entire conversation, and drawn out sound of it sends her trembling over the edge. She hears him follow her with shaky groan, just as the final tremors pass through her body. The entire thing has left her feeling lightheaded and more than little giddy.

And even though she'd be hard-pressed to admit it, she's actually feeling pretty satisfied right now. There's not a single ounce of tension left in her body, and she's perfectly willing to just melt into the bed, still mostly dressed, and stay here forever. Lucifer is probably feeling some of the same considering how quiet he's been for past few minutes. She can feel herself beginning to drift off a bit before she hears a whispered "Goodnight, Detective." from the other end.

"Goodnight, Lucifer."


	3. Chapter 3

The sound of approaching footsteps gives her barely enough warning to duck into the nearest empty room, pulling Lucifer in with her. Of course the nearest empty room turns out to be an overcrowded supply closet, but it will have to do for now. The pawn shop should have been completely empty at this hour, though it seemed someone else - several someones, by the sound of it - had the same idea. Most likely her suspects, probably tipped off that the police were snooping around. They'd want to clear out the illegal weapons cache before the judge issued the warrant in the morning.

Too bad Lucifer didn't seem to believe in warrants. Chloe had tried to explain probable cause to him, which only resulted in Lucifer 'discovering' that the lock on front door was already broken. Which then meant they were obligated to investigate the premises, and Chloe was forced to endure Lucifer's smug grin. Up until they were suddenly joined by their suspects, obviously sneaking in through the back. Which is how they've ended up trapped inside a closet, while a crime is currently ongoing on the other side of the door.

"This is asinine!" Lucifer whispers harshly from where he is standing unnecessarily close. The closet isn't that small. "We could be out there now, catching the bad guys!"

"And you could be getting shot again! I've called for backup, we just need to wait. Be patient." Chloe intends to put a little distance between them, but she doesn't want to risk being overheard by whoever is outside. And Lucifer apparently seems intent on having a conversation despite everything that's going on.

"Patience is a virtue, Detective, and I am as un-virtuous as they come." The room is pitch-black, but she can actually hear him grinning.

"How about embracing some self-preservation, then?" She bites back.

"Every moment I stand here, the reputation of my club, my livelihood, suffers. How is that self-preservation?"

"Are you serious? You're worried about Lux's reputation right now?" She will never understand this man's priorities, nor the complete lack of concern for his own safety. "Besides, isn't Lux sort of famous for being a den of iniquity? How much worse could it get?"

"Iniquity yes, murder no. I prefer to stick to the more pleasurable sins." Somehow he's moved to stand directly behind her, taking obvious delight in the way she shivers at the feel of his voice against her ear. The effect of it is only enhanced by the darkness and adrenaline still coursing through her. He presses even closer, one hand reaching out to brush against her arm. Her leather jacket does little to mute the sensation

"Well, if you insist we wait around in this dull little closet, perhaps we could at least make this a little more interesting…" He continues stroking over her arm, as if the implications aren't already made perfectly clear by his tone.

"Seriously? There's at least half a dozen probably heavily armed men right outside this door and this is what you're thinking about?" She won't admit she's thinking about it too now, or that she's been able to think of little else every time he gets this close or brings out what she's started to think of as his bedroom voice. But Lucifer is getting to know her a little too well.

"Come now, Detective - if a little danger wasn't a turn on for you, you wouldn't be in this line of work."

"Or maybe I just want to help people. Ever think about that?" She crosses her arms defiantly across her chest, but does nothing to dislodge the hand still stroking her upper arm.

"Then you could have been a doctor or a social worker. But no, instead you chose to chase after the bad guys. You like doing this. The stakeouts, the pursuits, the _danger_ …"

"Well then I guess we have that in common." She intends it as a joke, to tease Lucifer for his obvious enjoyment of the precarious situation he's put them in. But it rings strangely true, even to her own ears. Despite their myriad differences, they do share this. And his unexpected obsession with honesty, though lately Lucifer has been far more forthcoming with her than the reverse. Chloe can't even admit to him she considers her odd partner to be something more like a friend now, rather than just pain in the ass - their current situation notwithstanding. She likes to pretend it's to just to keep from inflating his already massive ego, but the truth is she's a little scared. Scared that he's really just in this for the danger, for the thrill of the chase or whatever, and that he's far more interested in these things than in her. But occasionally he'll look at her in a way that makes her think he might be feeling more than either of them lets on.

Chloe is distracted from her current train of thought by the barest brush of lips against her hair. It's far too chaste for seduction, and it makes something tighten within her chest. They remain in stillness for a few more moments, before she can feel Lucifer becoming restless with their silence.

"You know, I find it very interesting that you never actually denied being turned on by this - the two of us trapped together, fate uncertain…" His words are mostly teasing - the situation isn't quite that dire - but beneath it all he's perhaps more serious that he was before. He's certainly not joking about taking advantage of their closeness, as he ducks his head down to nose delicately behind her ear, stubble scraping carefully against her neck. There's no possible way he could actually know what that spot does to her, but it's making it harder for her to remember the reasons they shouldn't be doing this right now.

"Backup's on the way, we need to stay alert." Even as she says this, she's tilting her head to offer him better access.

"I think you will find I am _very_ alert, Detective." With the heat of him melded perfectly against her back, it's impossible to miss his meaning. A pair of footsteps moves dangerously close to their hiding spot, but Lucifer never ceases running nose and lips along the column of her neck, and Chloe has to clamp down on the little noises that try and escape her.

Whoever it was walks right past their door, and Lucifer takes the opportunity to move his free hand around her waist. She's managed to uncross her arms, but her right arm still lingers near her gun, in case they're discovered here. Her left, she's surprised to find, is gripping Lucifer's forearm, though she makes no move to stop him as his fingers slip beneath the hem of her shirt. A soft sound of contentment makes it's way from her throat, and he apparently takes this as a sign of encouragement, his other hand drifting to trace at the low neckline of her blouse. She has no idea exactly how far he intends to go with this, but she can't help arching into his touch, pressing herself more fully into him.

"Admit it, at least I make things more interesting." She can actually feel his low voice running through her, and she doesn't even try to hide her shudder.

"It certainly hasn't been boring with you." She manages to breathe out.

"And…?" He questions with a nip at her earlobe, making Chloe gasp a little too loudly. She pauses to make sure they weren't heard before she answers.

"And I don't actually hate working with you." There, she said it. "It's kind of nice, sometimes."

It was a little more than she intended to admit, but more surprising is the way Lucifer immediately turns her around to face him in a move that leaves her feeling pleasantly dizzy. The room is nearly black but she can sense him staring at her through the darkness. She's not sure what he's looking for, but he seems to find it, and then she can feel him leaning closer to her. Chloe realizes that Lucifer intends to kiss her - and moreover that she actually _wants_ him to. Which is completely ridiculous because this is such terrible timing, and she still doesn't even know what he really feels for her. But she can almost imagine how he looks right now, easily picturing the look he gives her whenever he thinks she doesn't notice, and she's suddenly thankful that Lucifer is still gripping her arms because she's actually feeling a little unsteady right now. Chloe tilts her head back to meet him, a little uncertain but so very ready, when she's startled by insistent buzzing of her phone against her thigh. She nearly groans as she's forced to pulls back enough to lift the bright screen between them.

"Please tell me that's not Detective Douche…" Lucifer sounds almost pained.

"He says backup's just outside, so we need to be ready." They reluctantly untangle, and she's not sure if she loves or hates Dan in that moment.

* * *

They quickly surround the men, including their murder suspect, just as they're nearly finished loading the illegal firearms onto their truck. Which thankfully means most of their armory is packed up, but there's no avoiding the ensuing gunfight. The murderer manages to slip away in the chaos, and Chloe is forced to pursue him on foot. Lucifer isn't far behind her, apparently still wanting his revenge for what happened outside his club.

Their suspect climbs onto the scaffolding that's blocking the alleyway, loose planks and debris barely slowing him down as he races down to the other end. But Chloe manages to step right through the makeshift flooring, ankle twisting painfully as she drops down. She expects Lucifer will catch up with him first now, and she's a little worried about what he'll do to the guy without her there to stop him. But Lucifer surprises her by abandoning the chase to rush to her side.

"Are you hurt?" With startling gentleness he helps ease her foot out of the gap, carefully inspecting her ankle for any signs of obvious injury.

"I'm fine, Lucifer."

"You most certainly are not." And then he takes her by surprise once again by lifting her up, carrying her bridal style away from the scaffolding and in the complete wrong direction.

"Lucifer, put me down! I can still walk on my own, and our guy is getting away!"

"I will not, you can not, and he won't." He answers each in turn, gripping her small frame more tightly as she tries to get down. She knows she can't actually chase the guy down with an injured ankle, but she's not some damsel in distress here!

The situation is made even more embarrassing by Dan's sudden appearance. He's obviously followed her back here, and is clearly shocked to see her in Lucifer's arms. He also looks more than a little angry, but Lucifer doesn't even bother explaining the obvious.

"He went through the back, if you circle around you can probably head him off before he reaches his vehicle." Lucifer actually sounds like a real cop right then, and it's nearly enough to diffuse the situation. Chloe even stops fighting his hold on her. She ignores Dan's looks as she gingerly wraps her arms around Lucifer's neck, under the pretense of not wanting to fall. Not that Lucifer would ever let her.

"Is she…?" Dan's still staring at Lucifer, and Chloe is not loving being talked about as if she's incapacitated.

"She's fine, just go." Chloe commands. With one last look that tells her she hasn't heard the last about what's happening here, Dan finally obeys. And she doesn't miss the way Lucifer's arms have tightened possessively around her, though she decides not to comment on it.

She doesn't even argue when Lucifer carries her down the street to where her car is parked, setting her carefully on the hood before kneeling in front of her. With the same gentleness he helps her out of her boot, lifting her ankle to get a better look at it under the streetlamp. Chloe can see from here the way it's already starting to swell, and she can't hide her wince as she tries to move her foot. Lucifer's palm is cupped around her heel, preventing any further movement, while his thumb runs soothing circles around her swollen ankle.

The detective is struck by the realization that Lucifer has just abandoned his plans for revenge, has even given the bad guy over to Dan of all people, just to sit here and fuss over a minor sprain. Something warm unfurls in her chest, and suddenly she's so happy they were interrupted before because this is the moment she was looking for.

Chloe enjoys Lucifer's surprise at the way she roughly tugs him up to meet her, lips gentle despite the way her fists curl around his lapels. But he responds to her kiss almost instantly, one hand moving to cup the back of her head while the other never lets up with the slow circles at her ankle. His lips move softly against her own, and it's unexpectedly sweet. And far too brief. Still feeling a bit shaky over the everything that's just happened - a sensation that might now be more attributable to Lucifer than to anything else - she reluctantly pulls back. She allows her forehead to rest against his own and they both struggle to regain their breath. There's so much she wants to say right now, but all she manages is a soft 'thank you'.

"You're quite welcome, Detective." She can feel the way his lips curl up into a smile, a much softer one than she's used to seeing on him, and she knows there's a mirroring expression on her own face. They're finally forced apart by the arrival of the ambulance, as Lucifer insists on getting her checked out by a professional. This time she isn't even surprised when he scoops her up again, and she allows her head to rest easily against his shoulder as they make their way over to the paramedics.


	4. Chapter 4

Chloe's ankle heals after only three days, mostly by sheer force of will. She's not sure she can stand another day stuck at a desk doing paperwork. The office, at least, isn't so terrible as it might have once been - between the major arms bust and solving a number of recent high profile murders, she seems to have won back a little respect from her supervisors, if not from all of her coworkers. But Detective Warren remains unfailingly professional with her, despite their awkward date, and Dan seems to be putting off arguing with her about Lucifer until her leg heals, so mostly things are pretty quiet. Boring, actually. Mind-numbingly so. And she's left with way too much time to think about things she'd really rather not just yet (like the fact that she just kissed Lucifer). After just a few days she's half ready to hit the streets on crutches if she has to. Luckily, the doctor gives her the all clear to go back into the field before she's forced to take such drastic measures. And not a moment too soon. She immediately texts Lucifer the good news.

Lucifer responds rather cryptically an address and a time, no other explanation. Her attempts to call him are met with a busy signal. But regardless, she already knows she'll be at that address at 8 pm tonight. Trixie is sleeping over with a friend, so nothing but her physical therapy regimen awaits her at home. And at this point she doesn't even care what sort of crazy scheme Lucifer has in mind, if it means getting back to real police work.

* * *

The address turns out to be an upscale restaurant, one of those places that never advertises but people still seem to know about it anyway. Important people, or rich ones at least. Not people like her. Chloe is left wondering just who is involved in this case, and how it is that Lucifer seems to know everyone in this town.

She barely makes it through the doors before realizing she's woefully underdressed for this meeting. Usually her badge is enough to get her in wherever she needs to be, but right now the hostess is looking at her jeans and leather jacket like she might as well be wearing pink sweatpants with something vaguely sexual written across the ass. She may actually need to flash her badge or risk getting kicked out. But when she mentions to the hostess that she's here for a meeting with Lucifer Morningstar, suddenly she's being led back to the dining room.

It's not hard to pick out Lucifer, even though he's sitting in a rather secluded corner. His height and general presence make him easy to find in any crowd, and she's grown accustomed to seeking him out lately. It's also not hard to miss the fact that no one is sitting with him, and there are only two place settings at the table.

"Detective, you made it!" His smile is even brighter than she remembers it, and a fair amount of surprise has also made its way into his expression. She feels a small twinge of guilt that Lucifer had reason to doubt her arrival, and resolves to be a little nicer to him tonight. Mostly.

"Yes, and what exactly am I doing here?" In line with her new resolve she doesn't even fight him when he immediately jumps up to help her with her chair. She's a little tired of people worrying over her injury but Lucifer seems intent on being chivalrous, so she allows it just this once.

"We're here to celebrate your recovery of course!" If anything his smile has grown even wider as he sits back down across from her. The candlelight flickering between them makes the expression appear almost wild.

"So we're not here to meet someone involved with a case?" She questions, still a little confused at to why they're here, of all places.

"Heavens, no, what would make you think that?" He actually looks affronted at the very suggestion.

"Well isn't that why you usually invite me somewhere? It's not like you to make social calls when there isn't a case." It's not an accusation, though it sort of feels like one. Chloe tries not to think about their one non-case related phone call, and is surprised that Lucifer doesn't bring it up either. He doesn't even give her some knowing leer. He simply looks wistfully back at her, obviously struck by the truth behind her words.

"Then tonight we must remedy that. And here's to many more 'social calls' in the future." He lifts an empty wine glass towards her. Feeling a bit ridiculous but not wanting to ruin the moment she does the same with her own glass. Thankfully their waiter barely glances at their odd behavior as he brings them their menus, before leaving them in peace to look it over. Chloe is happy for the distraction, their previous line of conversation having taken an unexpected turn. She needed time to regroup. However, the menu in front of her offers no help.

"Lucifer, this thing doesn't even have prices on it."

"That's because this is my treat." He beams back, shaking off his earlier mood.

"Wait, does yours have prices on it? Let me see." She reaches across the table but Lucifer holds the menu just out of reach. If they were somewhere a little less fancy she's certain she would have made a grab for it, whatever the risk to her dignity.

"I want you to select whatever you most desire, not whatever is the least expensive." Lucifer calmly retorts, still holding his menu out of grabbing range.

"What makes you think I'd pick the least expensive thing?" She huffs, bringing her arms back in front of her.

"You forget, Detective, that I have seen how you eat. And I also know you aren't the type to order something expensive just because someone else is paying."

"Yeah, about that…" She wants to argue that she can still pay her own way, celebratory dinner or not, but Lucifer cuts her off.

"Detective, I am paying because I was the one who invited you here. When you do the asking, you may pay."

"What makes you think I'll offer?" Chloe can't resist poking holes in his logic.

"Your love of all things fair and just, of course." Damn, he knows her all too well. But she still can't help questioning this whole idea.

"And you'll actually let me pay for you?"

"Of course, I'm not some Neanderthal. Is that really what you think of me?" Lucifer brings his hand up to his heart in mock offense, overdramatic as always, but the question still hangs between them.

"No, it's just Dan never really wanted to let anyone else…nevermind." She wants to tell Lucifer she doesn't really think he's some overbearing jerk, but it's coming out all wrong, and revealing far too much about her past relationship instead.

"I believe you will find I have very little in common with Detective Douche." It seems like Lucifer understands her rambling at least, if he's back to mocking her ex.

Some of the tension seems to ease between them after this. Chloe somehow manages not to protest when Lucifer orders an obviously expensive bottle of wine to share with her, even as she feels guilty for enjoying it. Lucifer, on the other hand, seems to delight in her enjoyment. It's actually kind of adorable. She finds she isn't even annoyed when he starts suggesting dishes to her, which is something she hates with most guys. But Lucifer isn't showing off, for once. He seems like he honestly wants her to have a nice time. And she is. And that's when she realizes.

"…Is this a date?"

Lucifer seems startled by the question, but he answers quickly enough. "Of course. Isn't this what you humans do?"

He sounds simultaneously so matter of fact, and so uncertain about that whole thing, that it's hard not to laugh.

"Well, usually you let the other person know that it's a date."

"Would you have come, if you had known?" She hadn't expected that. Lucifer was always honest with her, but he was very rarely so open.

"Maybe. I certainly would have dressed more appropriately if had known." It's a honest answer at least, even if she tries to bring back the lighthearted mood from earlier. Lucifer seems to happy enough to go along with it.

"Nonsense, Detective, you look ravishing." She's still wearing her work clothes but Lucifer looks at her as though he means it. And she suddenly doesn't care that she's wearing the wrong outfit or that Lucifer practically tricked her to get her here, she's glad that she came.

"I feel like we're doing this backwards," she laughs, struck with all that has already happened between them. "Usually the first date comes, well, first."

"What can I say? We're rebels. But tell me, since you seem to be the expert here - what else do these first dates usually entail? Besides the prior knowledge of both parties, of course?"

Chloe can't tell whether he's just teasing or honestly asking her what to do, so she plays it safe with her response. "Well usually you try to get to know the other person, ask them questions, that kind of thing."

"Sounds intriguing. Shall I start or would you prefer to do the honors?"

"I'll start!" She answers quickly, worried that he'll start with something like 'what color panties are you wearing right now?'. Or 'knickers', whatever. She'd prefer to set the tone for this little Q&A herself. She considers asking him some of the questions he's been dodging, but realizes that she would have to answer his personal questions as well. Probably best to stick to the traditional first date questions, they'd probably amuse Lucifer anyway.

"Alright, what's your favorite color?"

"Seriously, Detective?"

"Ok, you're right, that was terrible. How about, what's your favorite movie?"

"Hot Tub High School." He grins as Chloe rolls her eyes.

"Come on, this doesn't work if you don't give real answers."

"That is a real answer, or as real as any other. I don't have a favorite, though I suppose if I had to choose, maybe The Maltese Falcon or Casablanca or The Big Sleep, something in the Bogart oeuvre."

"Bergman or Bacall?"

"Bacall, of course. Always did love a good femme fatale. Now your turn, same question."

"I don't really have a favorite either, but maybe Althea." She shrugs.

"The one with the cheesy aliens that turned out to be mutant humans?" Lucifer is clearly surprised at her response, and Chloe remembers how much she enjoys shocking him. She's actually kind of glad that she didn't just say some classic film instead, even if it means telling him the whole story.

"It's the first movie of my Mom's I actually got to watch. The rest weren't exactly appropriate for a kid. So I'd just watch that one over and over on VHS whenever she was off filming. It was a little like having her home." The whole point of asking generic date questions was to keep from revealing too much about herself, and here she's done it on her own. Maybe it's not so bad, though.

"I'm more of a Demon Town fan myself, though I suppose that's not one to show your child. Was your mother not around much when you were young?"

"You've already asked your question, now it's my turn." She hopes Lucifer will take the hint and drop the subject. Back to safer topics. "Ok, do you have any hobbies?

"Hobbies?" The word seems almost distasteful to him.

"I mean what do you like to do when you're not running a nightclub or being a police consultant."

He grins lecherously in response, to which Chloe rolls her eyes.

"Right, I clearly walked right into that…"

"I read." He interrupts.

"You what?"

"I read, whenever I can find the time. That's what I do when I'm not working."

"What do you read?" She doesn't know why she is surprised by his answer. It's not like Lucifer isn't annoyingly clever - it's just she never imagined him as the type to spend a quiet evening curled up with a book. "Wait, let me guess - Dante's Inferno, Dr. Faustus?"

"While I am a fan of both, I prefer Kafka. Now there was a man who understood torment." And it is so wrong the way Lucifer's voice rolls over the word 'torment'. "How about you, Detective? Or are you more a fan of Sherlock Holmes."

"Honestly I can't remember the last time I read something that didn't involve talking animals or a ballerina-chemist-ninja. Having a seven-year-old also means spending your free time doing things a seven-year-old would want to do. I'm not sure she'd be a big Kafka fan."

"Only one way to find out really."

The easy banter continues throughout dinner, in between rounds of Lucifer attempting to feed Chloe 'delectable' bites of 'rosemary fig confit with brie' or 'lamb with port demi-glace'. She's willing to try a few bites from his plate, but stops short of letting him feed them to her. Chloe has always hated those couples, and she and Lucifer aren't even a couple yet. For some reason the addition of 'yet' to that statement doesn't freak her out as much as it might have once.

And it's nice, this odd little slice of normalcy in her relationship with Lucifer. Just having a conservation about normal things like food or whether baseball can even be considered a sport, instead of the grim topics that haunt their daily lives. And it's even better not to be arguing, for once. Well, not arguing with any real intent or anger behind it. She imagines hell will freeze over long before she and Lucifer ever stop disagreeing on some things. But it wouldn't be half so fun if they did. And if Lucifer asked her now, whether or not she would have come here if she had known it was it date, she would be able to answer without a single hesitation.

His next question, however, makes her pause.

"Well, Detective, the night is still young - shall we have dessert back at mine?" Chloe wants to laugh at Lucifer's current expression - what the movie Tangled (another of Trixie's favorites) would have referred to as 'the smolder'. But it is definitely working, as much as it pains her to admit it.

And it's so tempting, but it's also way too soon. She's still not sure what this is between them, and she hasn't completely recovered from his little disappearing act from before. She doesn't want to wake up tomorrow and find him gone again, not after everything else.

"Lucifer…" She starts, not entirely sure what she means to say. But Lucifer seems to catch on that it's not going to be a yes.

"Say no more, Detective. Though would you be agree to share a drink with me? Or perhaps an actual dessert? I find I'm unwilling to have our pleasant evening come to an end so soon."

"And would these drinks be at your place?" She's pretty sure the combination of alcohol and being alone with Lucifer will lead to some very bad decisions. Or very good ones, for the moment at least.

"Or on the roof, if you'd prefer. Unless you'd rather be somewhere more public?"

And as much as she doesn't entirely trust herself alone with Lucifer, drinks on the roof sounds far preferable to drinks in some noisy bar. Chloe is also a little charmed by the fact that Lucifer is working so hard to spend more time with her. It's this more than anything that makes her agree.

Lucifer smiles as he quickly pays the check, refusing to even let her peek at the total. It's probably better that she doesn't know, anyway. But she insists on driving herself over to Lucifer's building, even if means having to find parking. Lucifer, of course, just tosses his keys to the valet, so he's already set up by the time she reaches the roof.

"Champagne and strawberries, really?"

"What were you expecting, Detective, homemade apple pie? A milkshake with two straws?"

"Or maybe devil's foodcake." It seems Lucifer's terrible sense of humor is contagious.

"Well you did turn down my earlier offer to have the devil for dessert." He leers back.

"So do you seriously just have champagne and strawberries on hand or did you plan this?" She tries not to think about who else he might have had them for, whether this is just something he does with the women he brings up here.

"I have a number of alcoholic beverages 'on hand' as you say, and quite the variety of fruits as well. Offering you an apple seemed a little too cliche, and I did promise you dessert after all." His voice is doing that thing again, and she does her best to ignore the effect it's having on her.

"And a rooftop. You've certainly delivered on that as well." She can't help the little bit of awe that creeps into her voice. L.A. isn't the most beautiful city in the world, but the view from up here is pretty spectacular. All of the ugly parts sort of fade into twinkling blackness below her. Chloe thinks about what the sunset must look like coming through the buildings, all reds and golds over the water. She can't imagine ever growing tired of that sight. But she realizes she's getting a little too caught up in imagining future visits, and turns back towards the roof and Lucifer.

"I can't believe you have a pool up here."

"Would you care to go for a swim?" He offers.

"I didn't exactly bring my swimsuit with me. And before you even ask, I'm not about to wear anything some poor girl left here." Borrowing a dress is one thing, this would be just…unhygienic.

"I wasn't about to suggest you wearing anything at all." The leer is back.

"Lucifer…"

"Kidding, Detective!" He obviously wasn't. "I wouldn't dream of actually suggesting we go skinny dipping." He would. "But whatever's you've got on under there is certainly enough to cover all the fun parts. Unless, of course, it isn't…" For a moment Chloe is a little bit worried that Lucifer actually has some sort of X-ray vision with the way it feels like he's looking right through her clothing. She resists the urge to cover herself.

"What, like go swimming in our underwear? Are we teenagers now?"

"Of course not, we all know that teenage you would at least go topless." Chloe groans at the reminder. He's eyebrows actually waggled at that, and she refuses to be the one embarrassed here. "Come on, Chloe, where's that rebellious spirit?"

It's not the challenge in his voice that gets her, though that would have been bad enough. No, instead it's simple jealousy. Of her younger self, no less. For being so carefree, so reckless. And for having made such a lasting impression on this man. So she downs an entire glass of champagne, doing her best not to wince as some of the bubbles make their way up to her nose, before stripping off her jacket and boots.

She's immediately gratified by the shock on Lucifer's face, but it's not long before he's leaning back to enjoy the show. Chloe doesn't even try to make it sexy, she just wants to get her jeans off before she loses her courage. Her underwear is definitely staying on though - not for modesty's sake, but to keep her from making any other rash decisions. She's never been so thankful to be wearing a matching set, even if they were otherwise entirely unremarkable.

"Loving the black, it suits you. My dark angel." Chloe shivers at the obvious hunger in his expression, but she meets his gaze head-on. "Though I should inform you that my favorite color is actually red."

"Are you going to join me or not?" She challenges back, ignoring his remark. She's not about to be the only one standing here half naked.

"Of course, Detective." And then he's shrugging out of his jacket, slowly unbuttoning the cuffs of his shirt. Lucifer definitely makes a show of it, and Chloe can't help but watch. But she keeps her arms crossed defiantly in front of her - half in keeping with her challenge and half to prevent herself from reaching out to touch every inch of new revealed skin. His chest is just as gorgeous as she remembers, all sleek muscles and warm skin. He toes off his shoes before reaching for his belt, and her breathing actually stops for a moment as he begins lowering the zipper. She realizes she has no idea if he's even wearing anything beneath his trousers, or if he just goes around commando 24/7. She's equally unsure what that sort of knowledge would do to her daily interactions with him. She's doesn't know if she's relieved or disappointed that Lucifer is apparently a boxer-briefs man.

"I thought you preferred red?" She tosses back.

"Only on you," he smirks, "it doesn't really suit my coloring." They're well matched in black, though she imagines Lucifer's probably weren't purchased as part of a 3 for $10 deal. Her own are purely functional, even if Lucifer is looking at her as though she's wearing the sexiest possible thing. For several long moments they just look at one another, their breath the only thing filling the space between them. Lucifer moves first, reaching out towards her. Chloe is already half dizzy with anticipation, and this is exactly what she meant to avoid tonight. So she does the only reasonable thing she can think to do.

If Lucifer is surprised at the way she suddenly darts away to jump in the pool, she misses it entirely. By the time she resurfaces, he's simply looking down at her with amusement. The cool shock of the water has brought back to her senses, but it hasn't completely washed away the reckless feeling. So she splashes him.

Whatever surprise she may have missed before quickly passes over Lucifer's face again before he's jumping in with her, immediately seeking revenge. But Lucifer doesn't have a seven-year-old daughter, and is thus wholly unprepared for a full scale splash fight. He only eventually succeeds in getting the upper hand by diving under a fresh wave to grab at her waist. He easily lifts her out of the water, preventing her from any further splashing.

"Most people would call that cheating." She accuses as she tries to wiggle loose from his iron grip on her waist.

"I think most people would also call it winning." A few more attempts are made to free herself before she finally gives in.

"Truce?"

"What's in it for me?" She can feel his chuckle reverberating through his chest at her back.

"You can let me go without fear of getting splashed?"

"Why would I want to let you go now that I've finally caught you?" Chloe is suddenly very aware of her position, her entire back pressed against Lucifer's front. The other meaning of his words is also not lost on her.

"How about for a kiss?" She's still feeling bold and a little reckless, and if she's honest with herself she's actually been wanting to kiss him since she got here. Or possibly even since dinner. Maybe even longer.

"A tempting offer, but I don't have to let you go for that."

"Sure you do, I…"

And the detective has no idea how it's happened but without ever once letting go of her, Lucifer has managed to spin her around to face him. Her arms are thrown around his shoulders, and she's looking straight into his cheshire grin. Every part of her that's not pressed against Lucifer's warmth feels its absence in the cool water, and she can't help shivering at the contrast.

"I believe I was promised a kiss?" It would be so easy to let herself get lost in those dark eyes and low voice, but she can't resist teasing him, even is she's already feeling more than a little desperate herself.

"I'm not sure you deserve one." He did cheat at their game, after all.

"What if were to ask nicely?" A tempting proposition, and she's curious just what entails him asking nicely. If nothing else she's pretty sure she'll enjoy it.

"Then maybe."

"Please."

OK, she wasn't expecting that. Chloe doesn't think she's ever heard the man actually say please even once. She looks back at Lucifer, whose grin has faded into something more like a hopeful smile - one of those rare, honest smiles that he never seems to show to anyone else. The expression is oddly vulnerable, and it makes her feel suddenly protective of him. So she takes pity on them both, and closes the distance between them.

Lucifer's lips are soft and cool, and they both taste a little of chlorine, but it's perfect. He kisses as though they have all the time in the world, as if he really never plans to let her go. His hands haven't moved once from where they are locked around her back, and her legs wrap around his waist automatically when he draws them even closer together. It leaves her feeling light headed from more than just the champagne, and she really does feel a bit like a carefree teenager, sneaking off to make out with her boyfriend in a pool. And so she lets herself get lost in his kiss, and the feel of him pressed up against her. His lips trail along her jaw to rediscover the sensitive skin behind her ear, and Chloe can't help the little moan that escapes. Those same lips abandon their quarry for a moment to whisper in her ear.

"Have you reconsidered my offer then?"

"Not on a first date." It's a weak response even to her own mind, but she can barely remember the reasons for her earlier refusal right now.

"Ah yes, the third date rule." What on earth is he even talking about…oh. Oh! "Well, I'm game for it. I think we could certainly fit in another date or two before sunrise, though perhaps we might count this as our second?"

Chloe gives him a warning look in response. It's devoid of its usual force, but it still prompts Lucifer to raise his hands in surrender. The effect of her glare is further lost when Chloe remains firmly attached to him, legs and arms still wrapped around his frame. She loosens her hold slightly to create some space between them, though she's already regretting the loss of his warmth.

"But kissing's allowed on first dates, isn't it?" Lucifer's back to grinning at her, but Chloe hasn't failed to notice that this is at least the third question he's asked her about dating.

"Lucifer, how many dates have you actually been on?"

"Including this one?" Chloe realizes that she hasn't actually called this a date to him yet. She nods carefully.

"Then I have been on one." He announces earnestly, boyish grin firmly in place. It's annoyingly endearing as always.

"How have you never been on a date before this?" It's sort of surreal to have this conversation while floating around his pool in their underwear.

"I never needed to before." And he's not bragging. She knows it's the truth - has watched countless women and men throw themselves at Lucifer. It's not like he even needed to seduce them, she's never seen him put in this level of effort with anyone.

"Why me?" That's the real question. The one she's been asking herself this entire time, holding Lucifer at arm's length until she could figure out the answer.

"Because it's you."

It's not the answer she expected. Really it should feel like a cop out answer, but Lucifer's sincerity bleeds straight through into his words. Something tightens almost painfully within her chest as Lucifer presses on.

"There's something about you. I can't even figure it out myself." She thinks of the way he looks at her as though she's a complete mystery to him sometimes. "But I want to. You're certainly worth the effort, Chloe Decker."

They're both nearly thrown back into the water with the force of her kiss. She pours everything she's feeling right now into this, everything she can't put into words. His arms tighten around her once again, letting her know that he understands.

The kiss stretches out for long minutes, becoming increasingly heated. Chloe bites at Lucifer's lower lip before soothing it with her tongue, earning a rumbling groan in response. He, in turn, presses the evidence of his growing enjoyment against her center, drawing a gasp from her. Lucifer quickly takes advantage of her parted lips to sweep his tongue against her own. One of his hands reaches up to tangle through wet hair, drawing her deeper into the kiss as she explores the searing heat of his mouth. His other hand goes to tug her straps down her shoulders, kissing down the line of her throat until his lips are brushing the tops of her breasts. He's practically lifting her out of the water now, and Chloe moans at the simultaneous display of strength and delicacy. It's a surprisingly attractive combination, and she drags him back up to meet his mouth once more. Her own hands tug at the damp strands of his hair, and she can't resist bringing their hips to meet again. She can feel the heat of him even through the layers that separate them, and unconsciously she shifts against him, drawing out another groan from the man beneath her. She knows this is going way too fast, but she can't seem to stop herself. When Lucifer's hand starts tugging at the clasp of her bra, she actually finds herself reaching back to help him.

The sound of a throat clearing brings them swiftly back to reality. Chloe is facing the wrong direction, and awkwardly turns to see the source of their interruption.

"Maze, what are you doing here?" Lucifer has never sounded so unhappy to see his assistant before.

"Phone call." Is all she says, clearly unintimidated by his mood.

"Can't they leave a message?" Lucifer signals towards Chloe. Who is currently trying to decide if she's upset or thankful for the interruption.

"They said it was important." Mazikeen holds her ground, despite looking completely uninterested in the entire situation. Chloe begins to awkwardly untangle herself from Lucifer's embrace, a little embarrassed to be caught like this.

"Go ahead and take it, I should probably get going anyway." Before she does anything else she might regret in the morning.

"But Detective…" His voice edges on pleading, even with Mazikeen standing right there.

"It's getting pretty late and I still need to drive home. I'll talk to you tomorrow." She does her best to adopt a casual tone, like it's no big deal that she almost had sex with Lucifer in his pool before his assistant interrupted them. She rushes out past the other woman, gathering up her clothes as she can. Putting them back on over wet underwear will be a miserable experience, but not nearly as awkward as sticking around right now. Lucifer doesn't try to follow her out, but she doesn't miss his look of dismay as she leaves.


	5. Chapter 5

The following morning Chloe finds two dozen red roses and an rather contrite Lucifer waiting for her in the kitchen. "My apologies for last night, Detective."

"You broke into my house as an apology?" Chloe tries to look stern about the whole B&E thing, but it's hard to even take herself seriously in cupcake pajama pants - Trixie's choosing, of course.

"No, that's what the flowers are for, of course. The gift of repentant boyfriends, or so I'm told." Lucifer looks entirely too pleased with himself at this, and his grin only widens as he takes in her sleep attire. "How sweet, are you inviting me to have a taste, then?"

"It's too early in the morning for this, Lucifer." Chloe does her best to ignore the boyfriend remark, as well any reference to 'tasting' her. She's not really mad at Lucifer, not really. More embarrassed with her own behavior last night than anything else. She was the one who let things go too far, and in the end she was the one that ran away. But it's all tangled up in her frustration with Lucifer for getting under her skin so thoroughly.

"Does that mean it's too early for forgiveness?" He's simultaneously apologetic and smoldering, which is a combination Chloe can't even begin to fathom. But it's working, somehow. She can't let him think he's getting off that easy though.

"Only if you tell me what was so important about that phone call." The detective can't deny her own curiosity. Just what could drag Lucifer away from the possibility of sex? Chloe has since tried to convince herself that she wouldn't have really slept with him, but the truth is things were definitely heading in that direction.

"Turns out it wasn't so important, actually. Just some degenerate who thought I owed him a favor. The gall of it! As if I'd ever put myself in debt to the likes of him! But he apparently heard I was working with the police and thought I could fix his little problem."

Chloe shifts immediately into cop mode. "Who was it?"

"Rick something or another. Low level dealer and quite the little snitch when it comes to ratting out his buddies. As if that means I owe him one." Chloe had been wondering just how Lucifer managed to track down some of her suspects without her, but there were far more pressing concerns now.

"And just what problem did he think you could fix?"

"He didn't actually say." Lucifer seems completely nonchalant about drug dealers calling him in the middle of night asking him for favors.

"But you didn't agree to help him?" She has to be certain.

"Of course not. I punish bad people, I don't help them get away with it." He actually looks a little hurt that she's even asked, and she can't help the guilt that creeps up on her. Lucifer has certainly skirted the edge of the law a bit, but he's always been on her side when it mattered. She does wonder if his refusal had more to do with her than with making sure the bad guy got punished, but she refrains from asking.

"So he didn't tell you anything else?"

"Nothing. Just told me he'd take his business elsewhere and then he had the nerve to hang up on me. On me!" Lucifer seems more appalled at being hung up on than the rest of it, but Chloe is thoroughly disturbed by the caller's intentions.

"Take his business elsewhere like as in to someone else with connections to the department?"

"I suppose, though there's not exactly an abundance of police consultants with my charms." He winks, cavalier as ever about the whole thing.

"No, but there could be someone on the force, someone willing to look the other way for the right price."

"Oh! The one you suspected in the Palmetto street case? But isn't that man in a coma?"

"Maybe there's someone else, someone still active in the department…"

A knock at the door interrupts her train of thought, but it's just Anita, Alice's mom, with Trixie by her side.

"Hey Chloe, Alice needs to get to soccer practice so I thought I'd drop Trix off on the way and save you a trip."

"Thanks Anita." She kneels down to greet her daughter with a hug. "Hey weasel, did you have a good time?"

"Looks like she wasn't the only one..." Chloe hears Anita murmur from above. She's apparently managed to catch sight of Lucifer, who's made his way over to the door behind her, and is now staring at the man.

"Lucifer!" Trixie runs over to hug Lucifer, who seems to be taking it in stride for once.

"You know Trixie is always welcome to stay over with Alice, if you need a night to yourself. I completely understand." Anita is not at all subtle with the way she's checking out Lucifer. He is utterly shameless under the attention, as he sneaks his arm around Chloe's waist.

"We might just take you up on that offer. What do you think, darling?" Chloe rolls her eyes, but doesn't fight the arm at her waist.

"Thank you, Anita, for dropping her off. Tell Alice we'll both be rooting for her at the game this week." Anita takes that as her cue to leave, but not without sparing one last glance at Lucifer. Chloe is fully aware that Lucifer is attractive, if you're into that whole tall, dark, and handsome thing, but Anita is happily married! She wishes she could understand the effect he has on otherwise sensible women. When she turns around, Trixie is smiling up at her.

"Did you have a sleepover too?" Lucifer's grin is entirely for her, and he seems to be thoroughly enjoying her discomfort.

"No sweetie, Lucifer is just here to discuss a case."

"But I thought you weren't supposed to work with your leg hurt!" Trixie quickly switches to worry. Chloe always did her best to shield her daughter from her work, but it was pretty hard to hide her limp from highly observant eyes.

"The doctor said I was all better now, so I can start taking cases again." Her daughter looks relieved at this, and a glance behind Chloe brings Trixie's knowing smile back full force, tongue peeking through her missing front teeth.

"Is that why Lucifer brought you flowers?"

"What? No, those are for…" Her mind blanks on a plausible explanation.

"They're to butter your mother up, of course. So she won't refuse me when I ask her to join me this Sunday." He turns back to gaze expectantly at her.

"For what?" Her eyes narrow in suspicion.

"It's a surprise." He dodges.

"I love surprises!" Trixie interjects, not fully understanding the tension in the room.

"I _don't_ love surprises. What are you planning?" Chloe questions.

"What's in it for me if I tell you?" He offers, but Chloe knows better than to get involved with one of his deals.

"How about an answer?"

"Very well." Lucifer practically sighs at having to give up the game so early. "I wish to take you out to the movies tomorrow night, if that's agreeable?"

"It's barely spring, what's even out right now?" She's not sure what she expected his surprise to be, but it wasn't this.

"Well it's not exactly a new release, quite old actually. It's playing at the Egyptian Theater."

"Something with Humphrey Bogart in it, I'm guessing?"

"Penelope Decker, actually. They're having a one-night screening of Althea. You did say it was your favorite?" He looks pleased at knowing this about her, even if it's not really some big secret. She's sort of happy he actually remembered, even though the whole thing seems a bit odd.

"Yeah, but why would they play that of all movies? It wasn't that successful its first run, and it hasn't exactly reached cult status or anything."

"Let's just say someone owed me a favor." Lucifer looks as though he hadn't meant to tell her this part, trying to casually shrug it off as if it wasn't a big deal. But it was. As weird as this whole favor thing is with Lucifer, she's a little touched he's using it to do this for her, even if it is completely crazy. "So what do you say?"

"Can I come too, mommy? I want to see grandma on the big screen!" Trixie beats her to the punch yet again, and she looks over at Lucifer to see what he has to say to this. She knows he's not big on kids, and she's certain he intends this to be another date. So she's taken aback when he immediately agrees.

"Sure poppet, if your mother agrees. We'll have the whole family there. Though perhaps we can leave out Detective Douche?"

"Lucifer!" She half-heartedly scolds him using the nickname in front of Trixie, but she's still a bit in shock that he practically agreed to a family outing. Lucifer looks completely unapologetic, going to stand beside her daughter.

"Come now, Detective, you wouldn't want to disappoint this little rugrat, now would you?" Chloe knew she didn't stand a chance with the two of them on the same side.

"Alright, we'll all go then." The detective smiles despite herself.

"Yay! Thank you!" Trixie hugs them both before racing off to the next bit of excitement.

"I thought you didn't like kids." She begins to question once Trixie is out of earshot.

"I never said that, I simply said I didn't understand the desire to have them." Not even a little bit true, but she's willing to let it slide. "Besides, I do believe I said your offspring wasn't as horrible as some of the others." High praise, indeed.

"So you really don't mind taking her to the movies?"

"I wouldn't have agreed if I minded. I am curious though, whether this still qualifies as a second date?"

"It depends, why do you ask?"

"Because you still haven't told me whether I am forgiven for the way our first date ended."

"And it has nothing to do with trying to get to the third date?" Her arms cross sternly in front of her even though her question is mostly in jest.

"Of course." He grins lewdly back. "But if that's all that's holding you back, then you're welcome to determine the time and place of our official third date."

"Who says there will even be one?" She can't resist teasing him, even though she's secretly pleased that he's handing the decision entirely over to her. But then he's pressing into her space, one hand reaching up to brush back her hair as he leans towards her ear, breathing out words that leave her speechless.

"Perhaps it's the fact that I can still taste your skin on my lips, and feel your heat seared permanently into my flesh." The memories rush back, unbidden. "And unless I'm very much mistaken, I think you desire this as much as I do." He's not mistaken. "But I can be patient, too. When I care to be."

* * *

Despite the grandeur of the Egyptian Theater in all of its 1920s lavishness, the whole movie date was a surprisingly casual affair. Lucifer had even forgone his usual polished suit. Instead he wore a soft-looking grey button-down beneath a dark vest. The sleeves were rolled slightly, offering teasing glimpses of Lucifer's wrists and forearms that Chloe pretended not stare at. Chloe herself had chosen to wear a dark, off-the-shoulder floral dress - softer and a little more feminine than the rest of her wardrobe, but she still felt like herself in it. Lucifer clearly approved of her choice judging by the ways his eyes still roved across her form while Trixie was distracted by the snack counter.

Lucifer somehow let himself get talked into buying a tub of popcorn, a bag of gummy worms, and an Icee, unable to resist the pleading of a seven-year-old girl. For all his professed toughness, he caved pretty easily. He even returned Trixie's thank you hug with an awkward pat to the head. Chloe smiled despite herself. The whole thing felt so…domestic, and not at all what she had come to expect from spending time with Lucifer. It was almost like a normal family outing, minus the tension with her ex-husband. Lucifer even toned down the aggressive innuendos. Not that he ceased completely, but he at least made certain that they wouldn't be understood by little ears. Such as when Trixie offered him a gummy worm.

"No thank you, I'll be having something much sweeter later this evening," complete with a lecherous grin aimed in Chloe's direction. Trixie seemed to sense something was going on, but was quickly distracted by picking out their seats.

Chloe was a little stunned at the crowd in the theater. She hadn't expected Lucifer to buy out the show or anything (even though she was certain he _could_ ), but she also hadn't anticipated that many other people wanting to see the movie. Maybe they were all just Penelope Decker fans, happy to see even one of her cheesier films?

Trixie managed to find them three seats altogether, and then sat herself directly between her mother and Lucifer. Chloe wasn't sure if she was disappointed or relieved to have a buffer between them. Lucifer looked like he was ready to protest their seating arrangements, until he realized his arm could still stretch across the old-fashioned seating to rest on the back of Chloe's neck. It was all very cozy. Trixie squealed in delight when Penelope Decker's name lit up across the screen.

Althea was both better and worse than she remembered it. Watching it as an adult, it was a little harder to ignore the corny dialogue and obvious plotholes, or the skimpiness of her mother's costume. But something about seeing it on the big screen, and being able to share her daughter's excitement over seeing someone you know up there, made it easy to fall back into the familiar comfort of the movie. Lucifer's fingers playing at her neck throughout the film left her feeling simultaneously relaxed and strangely electrified. She glanced over at the man from time to time, catching him cringing a bit at the terrible costumes and poorly choreographed fight scenes, but at the same time he rarely took his eyes off the screen. Apparently he really was a fan of her mother's movies, even if he had teased her for liking this particular one so much.

Trixie crashed pretty hard during the final credits, the sugar rush having finally worn off. Lucifer scooped her up without a second thought. He may have carried her a bit more like a sack of potatoes than a human child, but the sight of it was still more endearing than Chloe cared to admit. Trixie woke up again halfway through the car ride home, apparently freshly invigorated by the open air vehicle and the desire to talk about all her favorite parts of the movie.

"Mom, do you think I could get a dog like Alfie?"

"We can't, sweetie, your grandmother is allergic to dogs."

"But not to _robot_ dogs…" Chloe knew better than to argue the reality of robot dogs with her daughter.

"Perhaps you could affix some ears and a tail to a wheeled trash bin - it certainly couldn't look any more ridiculous than the actual Alfie prop." Lucifer teased. Chloe smacked his shoulder in retaliation, but she smiled at the same time to show she secretly agreed with him. They barely even tried with some of the props. They probably spent the entire effects budget on laser blasts. At least those held up pretty well.

And it was nice, joking about the movies again as they had at dinner, enjoying a bit of normalcy. When they reached the house, Lucifer surprised her once again by offering to walk them to the door - not to come in, not take Chloe back to his place, just to walk with them. And true to his word he stayed at the doorstep, even as Trixie raced inside, clearly having found some new source of energy. Chloe remained just outside the door, turning back to face Lucifer.

"Thank you, for all of this. Trixie really loved it."

"And what about you? Did you also enjoy yourself, Detective?" Apparently he had been holding back on the charm all afternoon because he was definitely unleashing it full force right now. One arm was casually raised to lean against the doorframe, pressing Chloe back against the door and forcing her to admire the very tempting picture he presented.

"I did, thank you." It came out breathier than she intended, as her voice often did around Lucifer nowadays. She was learning to just go with it, and stop second-guessing herself so much. Speaking of which…

She managed to catch Lucifer a bit off guard by making the first move this time, but he didn't hesitate to respond to her kiss. His free arm went down to encircle her waist, pulling her closer to him, while her's went to tug at the collar of his shirt. The material there was just as soft as it looked, and a pleasant contrast to the stubble at his jawline. She allowed the kiss to deepen, both of them getting a little lost in the freedom to touch after a long afternoon of maintaining an appropriate distance.

Chloe let one of her hands slip under Lucifer's collar, running along his shoulders directly above where she knew his scars to be - all the while being very careful not to brush against them. Her other hand made its way into Lucifer's hair, lighting scratching at his scalp and tugging at the strands. Lucifer practically purred into her mouth, and his fist tightened in the fabric at her waist, bringing her skirt several inches higher. She should probably put an end to this soon, before they gave her neighbors a show. Reluctantly she pulled back, more than a little satisfied at the way Lucifer took a bit longer than she did to catch his breath. She untangled their limbs, and made to go back into the house.

"I'll see you tomorrow morning, Lucifer. Bright and early. We've got a case." And with that she left him looking a little bewildered on her doorstep as she went inside, settling against the closed door with a pleased smile gracing her features.


	6. Chapter 6

"Detective, are you asking me on a date?"

Chloe is already regretting asking him. This is such a terrible idea.

"This isn't a date, it's for work. Our suspect has been repeatedly avoiding our requests to interview him, and our first real chance will be at this charity ball tonight."

"Ah, I see. So you just need me to get you in the door, then? Charity balls aren't usually my thing - far too many wealthy hypocrites patting themselves on the back for my taste. But I'm sure I could swing us an invite." Lucifer can't resist the chance to show off his connections. Even though he's already riding along with her because he just happens to know their suspect's business partner, Benjamin Laird.

"The invitations are already taken care of. The Lieutenant has spin class or something with the event's organizer."

"So then it is a date. Our third, in fact." Lucifer's grin swiftly becomes a leer. Chloe shoots him a dirty look.

"No, this is work. You're my partner, more or less. And this is what partners do." She argues, but there's no real heat to it.

"So I suppose you've attended formal balls with all of your partners, is that how it is? And here I thought I was special, love." He feigns hurt, overdramatic as ever.

"Do you want to help me catch this guy or not?"

"A wealthy man with a penchant for killing young call girls? A little cliche, but I suppose I could help you out. On one condition."

Chloe is so going to regret this. "What condition might that be?"

"You let me select your gown, of course." The grin he turns on her is almost predatory. Just how many teeth does he actually have? But Chloe realizes it's not that terrible a condition.

"Fine, let's just do this." There's no way Lucifer can find anything too bad in her closet, and there's also no chance that one of his skanks just _happened_ to leave an appropriate dress at his place. How bad could it be?

* * *

Apparently the sight of Lucifer in a tux isn't something you can develop immunity to. It hits her just as hard as it had first time, and it's all she can do not to stare at him in her doorway. The picture he presents there is rather dashing.

"You look…nice." It's as much as she'll admit to.

"As do you, Detective. Loving the fluffy pink robe, though you'd look even better without it."

Chloe tries not to blush. She had finished her hair and makeup earlier, but didn't bother putting on anything she would just have to change out of later. Might as well get this part over with.

"Come on, I already pulled out everything even remotely formal from my closet." She starts walking back towards her bedroom, confident that Lucifer will just follow her. She hears him close the door behind them.

"I believe you misunderstood the terms of this outing, Detective." And when she looks back he's suddenly holding up a garment bag that he definitely wasn't holding before. Was he some sort of cheesy magician before all of this? She definitely does not imagine Lucifer running around performing silly card tricks in a open leather vest, Criss Angel style.

"What on earth is that?" A stupid question, but she still feels justified in asking it.

"It's a dress of course." And then he's unzipping the bag. Chloe's imagination runs wild with thoughts of some sort of full length stripper outfit, complete with a dozen cutouts and entirely unsuitable to wear in public. Or one of those dominatrixy type dresses Maze favors.

But somehow the actual dress is surprisingly tasteful. Red of course, but also a lot more fabric than she was expecting. She still eyes the dress suspiciously.

"Where did you even get that?"

"Designer friend, owed me a favor. Managed to get this very dress onto some little Hollywood starlet at her movie premiere, and the press took care of the rest. Now it's yours to wear for the evening."

Chloe takes the dress from him, amazed at the soft feel of the fabric, and the obvious work that's gone into making this.

"Lucifer, this is too much, I can't just wear this to interrogate some guy."

"You can, and you will. Our man won't even know what hit him. Now go on, get dressed. Don't wish to be late."

Chloe clears her throat expectantly.

"What?" She can't tell if he's playing dumb or if he is actually this clueless.

"A little privacy, please?"

"You did agree to let me dress you." She most certainly did not.

"I agreed to let you pick out the dress, not put me in it!"

"It's nothing I haven't seen already, Detective." And then he's looking her up and down like he can somehow see right through her ridiculous robe. But when he reaches her face he's met with any icy look.

"Alright, have it your way." He turns to face the closed door.

"Or you could wait in the living room like a normal person?" She suggests.

"What if you need help with the zipper? They're quite tricky, I've found. What kind of escort would I be if I were to just abandon you in your time of need?"

Chloe just sighs and relents. There's apparently no getting him out of her bedroom now that he's here, so she might as well just change as quickly as possible.

"No peeking."

"Well I am the Devil, after all…" She can see his head already turning slightly as she unties her robe.

"Lucifer!" She grips the robe closed instantly.

His heads turns back and his hands go up in surrender. "Alright, I'll behave. For now."

The 'for now' should worry her, but she can't help the little thrill that runs through her at the sound of his voice saying it. It promises to be an interesting evening, at least.

The dress fits like a dream, of course. Apparently guessing a woman's measurements is another one of Lucifer's superpowers. The fabric drapes perfectly over her frame, emphasizing her curves without revealing too much, aside from the rather long slit that parts over her leg as she moves. But the overall effect of it is surprisingly elegant.

"May I turn around now?"

"Yeah, sure." Chloe is still marveling at the dress in her mirror when Lucifer walks up behind her to take in the whole picture.

"Well well, perhaps this evening won't be so dull after all." Chloe can't help but admire the way the two of them look standing together. They almost look like a real couple. Chloe shakes her head to clear out these thoughts. This is work, and she needs to be in detective mode now.

"Let me just find some shoes and we can head out." Chloe moves towards her closet but her path is blocked by the shoebox being held out by Lucifer. And now the image of Lucifer in that stupid leather vest is back in her brain.

"I figured shoes could also be considered part of our deal, since they go with the dress."

Inside the box Chloe finds a pair of nude stilettos that appear dangerously high. But as nothing else in her closet is really appropriate, she sits back on the bed to strap them on. She stands back up slowly, satisfied that she can at least balance herself properly in these things.

"Any more surprises or are we ready to go?"

"Just the one." This time she can clearly see Lucifer pulling the small box from his pocket, though she still has no idea where the other items came from. He holds it out to her.

"Oh God, is this some sort of Pretty Woman thing?" She half expects him to snap the box on her fingers at any moment.

"Wrong deity, and no. Just open it."

Chloe takes the box cautiously and does as he asks. Inside is a small diamond pendant and matching earrings, surprisingly understated given the extravangance of his other choices.

"Another favor, I'm assuming." Chloe wonders just what Lucifer did in exchange for this.

"No. This is just for you."

"Lucifer…" And this is just too much, she can't accept this.

"Don't, Chloe." He covers her hands where they still hold the small box. "You work too hard every day for people who can't even begin to appreciate all that you are. You deserve to have this, and I won't let you convince yourself otherwise. Just let yourself have it." It feels as though they're talking about a lot more than jewelry right now, with the way Lucifer's hands still grip her own, and the intensity of his gaze. Chloe finds herself nodding in response, unable to manage any more than that. She's not entirely sure what all she's agreeing to, but it feels right.

"Excellent," Lucifer's self-satisfied grin is right back in place. "Let's see how it looks, shall we?"

And then he's taking the necklace from its box, guiding Chloe to face the mirror once again. One hand reaches out to brush her hair over her shoulder, trailing over her back and sending a wave of pleasant little tingles down her spine. He stands behind her, their eyes meeting in the mirror in front of her. His eyes never once leave hers as he brings the delicate chain over her head and around her throat. Her breath catches as the cool metal meets her skin. Long fingers make quick work of the clasp, as she carefully sweeps her hair out of the way, afraid to break the moment.

A single finger trails down the end of the necklace where it traces the center of her back, and Chloe can't help the way she arches back into the touch, or the way her nipples tighten deliciously beneath the soft fabric of her dress. Her reaction is not missed by Lucifer. He continues to run his finger along her spine as he bends down to place a single kiss at the base of her neck, her eyes fluttering closed at the sensation. She has to remind herself that Trixie and the babysitter are still in the house, and that they're supposed to be at the ball right now, doing police work.

Chloe pulls away too quickly, jarring her hip against the dresser and effectively killing the mood.

"We should really get going, the party starts at 7." She hurriedly puts in the earrings herself as she makes her way out of the bedroom. Trixie chooses the same moment to rush over to her. Chloe takes her up into her arms before her daughter can knock her over in her enthusiasm. Her babysitter looks on, helpless to stop her.

"Mommy, you look like a princess!" Her excitement only grows when she sees Lucifer behind her. "Is Lucifer taking you to the ball?"

"It's not a ball, sweetie, it's a work thing…" Her daughter's face falls at this, and she caves. "Yes, Lucifer is taking me to the ball."

She can't decide whether her daughter or Lucifer wears the bigger grin right now.

"Did Lucifer give you a necklace, too?" Trixie's now playing with the pendant, reminding Chloe of its presence.

"He did."

"Did you say thank you?" Why did she ever teach her daughter manners? This was not what she intended. Chloe lets out a breath, before turning to face Lucifer more fully.

"Thank you, Lucifer. It's beautiful."

"My pleasure." And Lucifer's grin is definitely the biggest.

* * *

"I don't see Ronnie Mercer anywhere." She's made at least three circuits of the lavish ballroom with Lucifer in tow, and there's still no sign of their suspect. It certainly doesn't help that every man in the entire hotel is wearing a tux tonight, but there's no way she could have missed him.

"It's early yet. Men like that never show up at the beginning of a party." Lucifer informs her as if it's the most obvious thing in the world. "Perhaps you could try and look less like a cop before he arrives? Your gun may scare him off - though I have no earthly idea how you've managed to conceal it beneath that lovely gown." Lucifer makes no effort at hiding the way he ogles her form, under the flimsy guise of searching for her weapon. Chloe doesn't miss the way his eyes linger where her dress exposes the full length of her leg with each step.

"It's in my purse, Lucifer. And keep your eyes on the doors. He has to arrive before the speeches start." She hopes that is true. She wasn't exactly looking forward to them herself, but she needed this plan to work. Otherwise this whole evening felt a little too Cinderella for her tastes - with Lucifer as her Fairy Godmother, Prince Charming, and the wicked stepmother all rolled up into one.

If Trixie were here she could have reminded her that Lucifer was also the cat's name. But this night isn't a fairytale, and she isn't a princess. She's a cop, and she's here to track down a killer. One who had already murdered two young women, and any more victims would be on her conscience.

"Care to dance, Detective?" Lucifer is suddenly much closer than he was before, his lips right beside her ear.

"What? No. We're here to work." Not to get distracted by things like the way Lucifer's voice sounds or how nice he smells right now.

"As you've reminded me several times. But we need to blend in, and that means dancing. We'll be able to observe the entire ballroom without attracting attention." It's not a terrible plan, as plans go, but still she hesitates.

"I…"

"Or, if you prefer, we can continue aimlessly wandering around with you staring at every man in attendance as if you plan to arrest him on the spot. That certainly won't arouse our killer's suspicion."

Chloe frowns. She didn't think she was that obvious. Normally she was better at this, but tonight she was out of her element. And apparently in Lucifer's, despite his professed abhorrence of charity functions. As much as it went against her every instinct, she would need to follow his lead here. In more ways that one.

"Alright, we'll dance. For one song. But keeps your eyes on the other guests."

"I can't make any promises." He's pointedly staring at her as he says this, and she does her best to ignore the fluttering she feels beneath her breastbone. Lucifer reaches for her hand, guiding her over to the dance floor. Chloe pauses as they reach the other dancers.

"I don't really dance, not like this at least." And it pains her to admit her lack of skill here, though it's not like she's some debutante. The last time she remembers actually dancing was at her wedding, and that was really just swaying in circles more than anything. She tries to brush aside any thoughts of her ill-fated wedding day.

"That's because you haven't had the right partner." It's clear from his voice that he considers himself to be the right partner. His confidence is reassuring for once, and she allows him to guide her into the correct stance. He takes her right hand into his, and places her left at his shoulder. His free hand slides to her lower back, considerably below where it should properly fall. Chloe knows this much at least, but doesn't call him out on it. His hand feels right there, like he can keep her from falling and messing this whole thing up.

There's a live band playing, because of course there is. A mix of classic and current hits all perfectly arranged to inspire dancing without discouraging conversation. The lighting is soft and strangely romantic for what's essentially a business function, but it's possible to observe the other guests from the dance floor. Not that Lucifer is looking anywhere but at her. Chloe is still looking at her feet, trying not to trip over he own heels.

"Relax, Detective. Let me take the lead. I assure you I've very good at this." This last part is whispered directly into her ear, and there's no way that Lucifer could have missed the way her breath catches in response. But instead of teasing her, he merely tilts her chin up to meet his gaze before resuming their dance. And he is good - very good, in fact. Once she stops worrying what her feet were doing they fall right into place with Lucifer's steps, as he gracefully leads them around the floor. There is still no sign of their guy, so after a few minutes of this she finally lets herself fully relax and enjoy the dance. She even forgets how much these heels are killing her. Lucifer seems to take that as his cue to resume their conversation.

"And to think, you could have been stuck here with some boring detective as your partner. Present company excluded, of course." He grins down at her.

"Of course." She smiles back, despite herself. "But no chance of that happening, anyway. You're about the closest thing I'll have to a partner in the foreseeable future."

"Oh? I thought with the Palmetto case closed and Malcolm back in the land of the living, you all had rather kissed and made up. Metaphorically speaking."

"Well, not exactly…"

"Do tell, Detective. You've piqued my curiosity."

"This stays between us." Lucifer would probably think his charm was what won her over, but really she just needed someone else to talk to about this. "Dan and I found out there was someone else involved with the shooting - another cop. I only closed the case so I could have time to figure out who it was. And right now I can't trust anyone else in the department."

"But you trust me."

"Strangely enough, I do." She can't fully explain why she does, but she knows that she can trust him. Lucifer may be hiding a lot about his past, but he's never lied to her. Other than maybe about the whole being the literal devil thing, and she was no longer entirely sure that wasn't the truth. But devil or not she knew he would have her back on this.

"High praise, indeed."

The next song is slower, and Lucifer's arm at her back draws her in more closely. And it would be so easy to just pretend that they're just some normal couple here to enjoy themselves. She lets herself indulge in a very brief fantasy where this is her life - fancy balls, a stable relationship, no murders. But can't forget her duty, and it doesn't take long after their suspect enters the room for her to spot him.

"Back left corner, by the bar." Lucifer spins them to around to see for himself. The man is completely generic, but it's hard to miss the way he's leaning against the bar like he owns it.

"And look who he's with." He turns her back to face the bar and that's when she spots her - too young and wearing a dress that's only made to look expensive. "Perhaps his next target?"

"It would be pretty bold to parade her around like this if she was. But we can't risk it, I'll make sure we've got additional eyes on the girl." She's already reaching for her phone.

"Perhaps we'll catch him in the act."

"We're not using some innocent girl as bait!" Chloe whispers harshly as they head towards the man in question.

"Of course not, Detective. Besides, one more victim and your case gets bumped up to serial. We wouldn't want that."

"I don't care about the collar, I care about the girl." Sometimes she has no idea how Lucifer's mind works. He seems to care deeply about catching their bad guys, but he never seems to care half as much about their victims - unless he knows them personally. She pushes these thoughts aside as they arrive at the bar.

"Mr. Mercer? I need to ask you a few questions."

"Listen, sweetheart, I'm a busy man. If you need to ask me something you can make an appointment with my secretary." He doesn't even turn around to say this.

"I have made an appointment. Several, in fact. Now you can answer my questions here or I can take you down to the station." He finally turns to face her, and the way he's looking at her makes her skin crawl. He probably could have been mistaken for handsome if he weren't such a sleaze bag.

"How about you come around to my place later, and then we'll talk. You can even bring the handcuffs, but leave the guard dog behind."

Lucifer seethes at insinuation. Chloe is forced to step in between the two men, turning to prevent Lucifer from doing whatever it is he's about to do. Right now his eyes almost look red, and it must be some sort of weird trick of the light or her own overactive imagination. She's distracted only momentarily by the sudden appearance of Mercer's hand gripping her shoulder, but afterwards she's entirely unable to explain what happened.

Mercer is lying behind the bar where he was thrown, having shattered several glasses along the way. There's blood running down from a nasty gash in his head, and his 'date' is screaming. But Lucifer is standing in exactly the same place, arm raised though there's no way he could have gotten any sort of leverage with her standing between them. It doesn't make any sense. She rushes to check on Mercer, who's thankfully still alive but obviously paralyzed with shock.

The cops arrive on the scene quickly, and Lucifer somehow slips away in the chaos.

* * *

"What the hell, Lucifer? Where were you?" She finds him back at his apartment, still in his tux but with the collar unbuttoned and the tie hanging loosely around his neck, infuriatingly casual.

"We already caught Mercer, I assumed I was no longer needed." It's such bullshit and they both know it.

"After you disappeared the cops showed up and he finally talked. Turns out he had an alibi for both nights. Both the girls and the hotel manager were able to confirm his whereabouts."

"So then he's just another useless creep?"

"Well, he's definitely a creep, but not entirely useless. We found out from him that Mr. Laird wasn't really at a conference in New York. Cops just brought him in and he finally confessed."

"Benny was our killer? That bloody little imp! Lying right to my face, and throwing his partner under the bus."

"And speaking of throwing people - what the hell was that earlier?" Lucifer disappearing on her is not particularly new, but this she can't even begin to explain. She's hoping Lucifer might finally tell her what's going on.

"I've already told you the answer to that, yet even after all of this you're still unwilling to believe me."

"What? That you're the Devil? How can I believe that you're someone who doesn't even exist. It's just some fairytale people tell their kids to make them behave."

"There's more truth in fairytales than you realize." He's looking at her with such intensity that she almost believes it for a moment. She lets out a sigh, realizing they're not going to get anywhere with this.

"Look, I didn't come here to argue. I mean, I did, but not about fairytales. Though I am very much considering leaving these glass slippers here with you. They're killing my feet." The joke falls a little flat, but she's tired of fighting.

"Then allow me to assist you." He takes her by the hand once again, leading her to sit at one end of his couch. Lucifer seats himself at the opposite end before guiding her feet into his lap. Her anger dissipates in the face of her confusion at his actions.

"What…?"

Chloe maneuvers herself to continuing facing him, pressing back against the couch's arm tugging at her skirt to keep it from falling open in this new position. Both of her legs are still bared by the parted fabric, but she manages to avoid exposing any more. Though currently Lucifer's attention is focused entirely on the feet now resting in his lap, as he carefully unfastens the tiny buckles at her ankles. It feels like heaven as they are finally slipped from her feet. She lets out a small sigh as her toes wiggle freely in celebration.

Lucifer surprises her again by pressing his thumbs into the arch of the foot closest to him and Chloe jerks forward, gasping at the sensation. He doesn't let up, running his thumbs upward towards the balls of her feet, the pressure just this side of painful. But the release of tension that follows each upward stroke is incredible, and she can't help sighing at the feeling. She only manages to offer up a half-hearted protest. "You don't have to do this…"

"Let me, Chloe."

Any further arguments die on her lips. It's been a very long night, and the heels were entirely Lucifer's fault anyway.

She melts back into the cushions below her, eyes drifting shut as she lets Lucifer's strong hands work their magic. It's almost sinfully good, despite being almost entirely innocent - if you can ignore the sounds that escape her throat with each new press of his fingers. When he finishes with one foot he repeats his ministrations on the other, leaching any trace of tension from her body. Along with it goes her inhibitions, until she's practically moaning in relief.

Now that the edge of pain is gone, it's actually starting to feel nice. Really nice. Her thighs press unconsciously together at the sudden heat that's pooling between them. She hadn't really thought of her feet as being particularly sensitive, but weeks of teasing touches have finally gotten to her. And she can't help but imagine his clever fingers being put to better use elsewhere.

As Lucifer works his way up to massage at her calves, her thoughts grow even more vivid, and without quite realizing it her hand drifts down to press at the top of her thigh, only inches away from where she really wants it. At this point it wouldn't take much, she's wound so tightly. She tugs at her skirt, unsure whether she wants to shift it down or further up.

Lucifer notices, of course he does. He releases her calves, allowing his hands to drift slowly upwards over bare skin. When he reaches the edge of her skirt, one hand covers her own as they inch the fabric higher. She gasps as the cool air of the apartment meets over-sensitized skin. She's so close and he's barely even touched her above her knees. Lucifer is still trapped by her legs and the angle is awkward but it doesn't seem to matter. All it takes is a single brush of his fingers against her center and she's already shuddering her release.

"So responsive…" Lucifer sounds almost awed at her reaction, and Chloe can't even bring herself to be embarrassed by it. She feels blissfully relaxed from the combined effects of Lucifer's massage and her recent orgasm, and it doesn't even matter that they're both still fully dressed.

Chloe is just about to remedy the whole clothing situation when she hears her phone buzzing in her purse. She groans as she reluctantly extricates herself from the couch, not missing the way Lucifer readjusts himself as she moves.

"It's Trixie's sitter, I didn't realized how late it had gotten…" A glance back at Lucifer reveals that he knows exactly how this is going to end for him, his demeanor already resigned.

"Another night, perhaps."

"How about tomorrow?" Lucifer perks up at this, obviously not having expected her to take him up on his offer.

"Tomorrow?" He grins.

"Tomorrow." She doesn't even pretend it means anything other than what he's thinking right now. Trixie will be with her father all evening, and Chloe can no longer deny that she wants this just as much as Lucifer does. She picks up her shoes and walks out the door before she can decide that tomorrow night isn't soon enough.


	7. Chapter 7

Getting any work done the next morning was bound to be a struggle. There was a mountain of paperwork to do following last night's bust - plus Lucifer's little stunt at the bar to try and explain. And thinking about what had happened at the charity ball of course led to thinking about what had happened afterward, and what might have happened if she hadn't had to leave so soon. Her decision to agree to another date tonight had been impulsive, born out of a hazy desire that had only been intensified by her recent orgasm, but she can't bring herself to regret it. If she's being honest with herself, she's been wanting this for a while, possibly since she first met the man.

Well, maybe not quite that first meeting. Lucifer hadn't exactly made the best impression, and there was a lot that continued to baffle her about her strange partner. But he certainly lived up to his own hype, and Chloe had no doubts that tonight would certainly make up for the weeks of sexual frustration. He had certainly proved himself more patient than she would have ever anticipated.

At least, he had been before today. If she thought she was distracted before, the situation was only made worse when Lucifer decided to join her at the precinct. He only needed to come in for a statement, but he had already spent most of the morning trying to get into her pants.

"Come now, Detective, let's ditch this paperwork and slip away for a little afternoon delight." He's leaning across her desk now, and Chloe is doing her best to ignore the way his posture is making his suit stretch across his frame.

"It's barely even noon, Lucifer. I can't just leave in the middle of the day."

"I'm certain I could convince your Sergeant to let you take a long lunch." The way he draws out the word 'long' isn't the least bit subtle, and she can't believe she ever thought this was a good idea. But the thought of him flirting with her boss brings out a strange possessiveness in her.

"Leave her out of this."

Without even missing a beat, he immediately offers up an even more ridiculous suggestion, thankfully dropping the topic of her Sergeant "We could just pop back into the evidence room, I'm certain we wouldn't be missed.

"Not a chance. Besides, we still haven't even had our third date." Chloe at least wants to maintain the pretense of self-control, even if her own is stretched pretty thin at this point.

"Then shall I make dinner reservations for us?"

"I thought you said I got to choose the time and place?" She's half-teasing, though at the same time she's spent far too much time dealing with men who refuse to give up even the tiniest amount of control. But Lucifer hands it over to her without a thought.

"So I did." He concedes.

Now that they have some semblance of a plan for the evening, Lucifer eases up on his attempts to seduce her away from work. But he's still not exactly helping her conquer this backlog of paperwork, so she finally sends him home with a promise to meet him later. She's thinking she'll take him to Angelo's, the little Italian place she used to frequent when she was still a beat cop. It's probably not as fancy as Lucifer might have chosen himself, but the food is wonderful and she can actually afford their wine menu.

With that decided, she's left with thoughts of what she's actually going to wear. Which leads to the realization that she has nothing to wear underneath. Even her 'date' underwear doesn't really feel appropriate for tonight - most of it purchased before her marriage fell apart. She mentally shuffles her schedule to fit a quick shopping trip into her lunch break.

* * *

She tucks away her new purchases as soon as she gets back to the precinct, having no desire to explain this to her coworkers - especially one in particular. One she could no longer put off talking to today. Dan seems a little surprised when she actively seeks him out, as she had mostly been avoiding him ever since her ankle had healed. She jumps straight to the point though, not wanting to invite any unsolicited 'advice' disguised as small talk.

"Do you think you could watch Trix tonight?"

"On a new case already? The Sergeant never mentioned anything when I talked to her." And of course he's keeping up with her case load, even though there's no reason for him to.

"No, there's no new case, I…" She can see the dawning realization on Dan's face.

"You're seeing Lucifer." It's not a question.

"It's…" She's not really sure where she's going with this, but she doesn't get the chance to deny anything.

"We all heard about the two of you last night. And Trixie isn't exactly a vault of secrets. What are you thinking Chloe?" She sighs - it's the same fight they've been having ever since Lucifer came into their lives, and she's just not up for it today.

"I don't have to justify myself to you."

"And I don't have to let that asshole near my daughter. What do we even know about this guy?"

"I know enough." The statement rings truer than she expects. "Look, I know he's not a perfect role model, but neither were we. And Trixie adores him."

Dan pinches the bridge of his nose. "That's really not helping…"

"I'm not asking the guy to move in, it's just a date. Now can you watch her or should I call up the sitter?"

"I'll watch her. But only because I think you're going to wake up soon and realize what a huge mistake this is."

Chloe refuses to give Dan the satisfaction of knowing how much his words strike at the heart of her fears. She's terrified that one of them will come to their senses by morning, and realize that they're just too different for this to ever work. Or worse - that Lucifer will just get bored with her now that the challenge is gone. But he's changed so much in the time she's known him, transforming himself into the kind of man she could actually see herself with. And she know she's changed too - letting down some of her barriers, and allowing herself to feel worthy again. So for once she's letting herself hope for the best.

* * *

It doesn't take long for Trixie to figure out about the date. Chloe merely asks if she doesn't mind staying with her father tonight, and her daughter's quick little mind jumps right to the whole date thing. Thankfully she doesn't ask about the sleepover aspect, because that is not a conversation she is ready to have with her seven year old daughter. At least she can be certain that Dan won't mention anything either.

So now Trixie is once again sitting on her bed helping her prepare for a date, and providing a running commentary on Chloe's hair and makeup choices. She even lets Trixie wear a little herself, carefully applying the same lipstick to both of them before testing its staying power with ticklish kisses against her daughter's cheeks. She lets go of any nervousness about tonight for the time being, content in these moments with Trixie. But putting on the necklace that Lucifer had given her brings it all rushing back, and Trixie seems to take that as her cue to let Chloe finish getting dressed alone.

Chloe shrugs off her bathrobe once she's alone, enjoying the cool air of the room against skin still warm from an overly long shower. The light scent of her lotion reaches her as she admires her naked frame in the mirror. A few scars mar her skin here and there - a hazard of the job, and of her pregnancy - but overall she's much more comfortable with her body now than when she had been while taking off her top in Hot Tub High School. And Lucifer certainly seemed to appreciate the brief glimpses he's gotten. Or stolen, as was often the case. But tonight she couldn't help wanting to tease him a little more, and she smiles at the thought of him reacting to the lingerie she's picked.

It's red, of course. But a deep wine red, trimmed in rich black lace. She can't stop staring at her own cleavage as it's somehow magically enhanced by the bra, and the matching panties are having a similar effect on her backside. But it's the garter belt that she's most excited about, and the attached stockings. She had to fiddle a bit with the clasps, having so rarely worn anything fancier than basic tights, but she hopes the effect will be worth it. She knows that Lucifer is already a fan of her legs, and somehow these make them look even longer and more shapely. Chloe hadn't fully appreciated the effect good lingerie could have on both her body and her confidence until this point.

As far as what she would wear over it all, she decided to go with a simple wrap dress. It was a bit more demure, but it was much more appropriate for the restaurant they were going to tonight. Plus it was very easy to take off, leaving her with a very vivid mental image of Lucifer slipping it off of her.

Satisfied with her outfit choices, she presented the final look to Chloe for approval before rushing them off to the car. They were already running a little late.

"Do you have your lunch for tomorrow? I don't want your dad sending you with nothing by chocolate cake again." Chloe did not understand his sudden lack of concern for Trixie's nutrition.

"We have a field trip to the zoo tomorrow, so I don't need a lunch." She beamed back.

"The zoo? Why is the first I'm hearing about it - don't I have to sign something for you to go?"

"I signed it for you!" Chloe nearly stops the car.

"Trixie, you can't just sign my name on things." She's trying very hard not to yell, knowing her daughter doesn't understand that what she did was wrong.

"But you said I could before, when I signed for the mail man…"

"That was different - I was in the room with you and you had my permission."

"You said I was a big help…" Trixie looks almost on the verge of tears and Chloe's anger deflates immediately at the sight.

"Sweetie I know you were just trying to help but you have to ask me first. I need to know what's going on at school, otherwise I won't know where you are and I'll get worried." Trixie looks possibly more upset at this, and Chloe does her best to bring back her smile. "Besides, what if a family of gorillas decides to adopt you? Wouldn't you want me to know where to rescue you?"

Her terrible joke works, and Trixie giggles at the idea. "I'd want you to come live with the gorillas too!" She declares.

"Been there, done that…" Chloe mutters under her breath, thinking of her overbearing ex. Dan wasn't all bad but, today's argument had left a bad taste in her mouth.

There was something else weighing on her mind though - had been ever since Paolucci supposedly shot himself. The suicide note was just a little too perfect, wrapping a neat little bow around the whole case. She had wanted to take another look at the note, get a handwriting analysis done, but everyone else had just wanted to put the whole incident behind them. Trixie's little forgery act brought it all back to mind, and she couldn't stop thinking about that note tucked away somewhere in the evidence room. If Paolucci wasn't the actual shooter, then there was still a murderer loose in the department. And whoever it was wouldn't want anyone checking that note. Chloe was struck by the sudden need to make sure that note was still in evidence - and that it really was Paolucci's handwriting. She was thankful that Dan met them outside their old place, suddenly feeling very much in a hurry.

"Thanks again, Dan. I'll see you tomorrow." She is already stepping back into the car.

"In that much of a rush to see him?" He snorts derisively.

"It's not that, I need to run back to the precinct really quick. I started thinking about Paolucci's note again and something's just not adding up with it."

"Chloe, I thought you finally put this to rest. You know no one's going to sign off you reopening the investigation with no evidence to go on." Chloe hates that she actually hoped Dan might support her on this, after everything that's happened, but it seems he's back to just wanting her to keep her head down. But she doesn't need a babysitter, she needs some real answers.

"I know, that's why I'm going to look over the handwriting samples myself. I am trained for this, after all."

"Can't this wait until tomorrow? I'll help you look them over if you're really that determined." She knows he's trying to be helpful but it still rubs her the wrong way, like he doesn't trust her to do it herself.

"It's fine, Dan. Just make sure Trixie eats something other than cake." Trixie tries and fails to look innocent standing next to her father. But Chloe has more to worry about right now than a sugar-hyped kid. There's no better time to slip into the evidence room without drawing a lot of attention, with most of the day shift heading out and the night shift still arriving. She makes a quick call to Lucifer, asking him to meet her at the precinct.

* * *

She doesn't notice the smell of smoke at first, hidden beneath the thick dust that still permeates the evidence room despite its frequent use. She's halfway back through the shelves before she spots the fire, only a few feet from where she was heading. It's spreading far faster than it should, burning through boxes of files as if they were tinder. The shrill sound of the fire alarm suddenly pierces the air, but any sprinklers are blocked by the high shelves. Chloe spares a thought for the sheer number of fire codes that have been violated in this room, before racing to find the fire extinguisher. It does little to halt the spread of the flames, which are already reaching out towards the exit.

Black smoke fills the air around her, and Chloe can no longer see the pathway out of the labyrinth of shelves. She does as she'd been trained, getting low on the floor and crawling towards the exit. Paper cinders float down to singe any exposed skin, but she focuses only on getting out. She's almost completely blocked in by the fire and the heavy filing cabinets that fill the space between the shelves.

"Chloe?" She startles at the sound of her name, before remembering that she called Lucifer to meet her here. And of course he would ignore the fire alarm and everyone else evacuating the building. The sound of his voice is growing closer, which means he's also ignoring the fact that the entire room is going up in flames.

"Lucifer, get out of here!" She coughs, hoping for once that he obeys.

He doesn't. He makes his way over to her from somewhere behind her, through a path she hadn't noticed before. He's still standing upright, breathing in thick clouds of smoke. She tugs him down to kneel beside her.

"Are you crazy? What the hell are you doing in here?"

"I'm rescuing you, clearly." He coughs out the last word, ruining the assurance of his words.

"Do you even know the way out?" Lucifer's never even been in the evidence room before - Chloe has no idea how he even found her.

"Of course, it's just back…" They both turn towards the direction Lucifer came from to see it's now closed off by a collapsed shelf and several ceiling tiles.

"Fuck." It's the only thing she can think to say right now.

"Here, we'll just push these out of the way." He signals towards the filing cabinets that are the only things not completely on fire right now. Chloe reaches out to touch one and immediately draws her hand back at the searing heat of the metal.

"It's too hot!"

"Nonsense, I'll just…" Lucifer doesn't hesitate to touch the cabinets, and for a second it almost looks like it's alright. But then his expression transforms into same surprised look he had worn when she shot him - as if he hadn't been expecting it to hurt and was shocked that it actually did. He pulls his hands back immediately, boggling at the angry red welts that are already starting to form on his palms. But then he looks back at her, as determined as ever.

"Do you see another way out?"

"No, but.." The rest is lost to her coughing, and before she knows it Lucifer is pushing over the cabinets with a pained grunt. They fall back against something else, leaving just enough space to climb over them. Lucifer reaches out to help her over, even though she can feel the blisters on his palms and knows how much this must be hurting him. She jumps the last little bit, stumbling into a clearer area. She can actually see the exit from here - thankfully the flames haven't made it all the way to the door.

She looks back towards Lucifer, offering her own hands to help him across. Just in time to see the ceiling cave in above him.


	8. Chapter 8

She only catches a glimpse of Lucifer as they carry him out to the paramedics. His normally impeccable suit is covered in ash and torn or burnt in several places. The burns on his hands are visible even from where she stands. But so is his shallow breathing. Lucifer's still alive, if barely so.

* * *

She had thought she'd need to pull out her badge just to get to see him in the hospital, but apparently the nurse had misunderstood Chloe telling him "he's my partner" and just let her on through. She realizes too late that she hasn't given herself any time to prepare for the sight that greets her there. Lucifer's still unconscious and hooked up to half a dozen machines, the sound of his uneven breathing made worse by the added noise of the oxygen tank. A hospital gown in a sickly green has replaced his ever-present suit and his hands are completely covered by bandages. She's never seen him look so…vulnerable before.

And Chloe knows it's ridiculous but for some reason she had really started to believe that Lucifer might actually be as indestructible as he boasted. She honestly couldn't have even imagined him sleeping before tonight (though she knows he must have, at some point), let alone lying unconscious in a hospital bed. As long as she has known him he has always been up at all hours, always perfectly dressed, and never once has she seen him afraid of anything. But tonight he was actually worried about her, and for a brief moment she had seen the look on his face when he touched the burning cabinets - the shock and pain of his expression were obvious. But then he still pushed harder, knowing full well just what it would cost him. And he had risked it all for her sake.

She reaches out to touch his cheek, brushing her fingers down to cup his jaw, careful to avoid the oxygen tubes. His pulse is faint but still present beneath where her palm now rests against his neck, and it's far more reassuring than the constant beeping of the monitor. Chloe lingers there a little longer, watching as Lucifer pulls in wheezing breaths. She can't help blaming herself for what's happened, even as she's thankful that he had been there to save her.

And even though she doesn't really believe in any of it, she finds herself praying to whoever listening that Lucifer makes it out of this.

* * *

"Mommy!"

Chloe's almost knocked over by the force of her daughter's hug, which she returns just as fiercely. Apparently Dan drove over with her the second he found out what happened, using his badge to bypass the security there. He stands awkwardly beside them, glancing between Chloe and the still unconscious Lucifer.

"Mommy, is Lucifer going to be ok?" Trixie looks up at her with pleading eyes. Chloe wishes she could reassure her, reassure both of them, but the truth is she's not really certain of anything herself right now.

"I don't know, sweetie…" What else can she say? The doctor hasn't been in to speak with her yet and Lucifer's been out for several hours at this point.

"Chloe, what _happened_?" Dan interjects. His voice is laced with anger but it doesn't seem to be directed at her. Once again she finds herself without a real answer to offer.

"I'm not really sure, they're still trying to figure out how the fire even started. I was just looking through the files when I saw it spreading - God, all the files were destroyed and then Lucifer…"

"Lucifer was there?"

"No. I mean yes, he was there, but not until after." It all happened so quickly, Chloe still can't wrap her mind around it all.

"So you were alone in the room when the fire started?" Dan's slipped into his detective voice, though Chloe has no idea why he's interrogating _her_.

"Yes?"

"Are you certain?"

"I didn't see anyone, but it's a big room."

"So there could have been someone else in there?"

"I guess? What's going on, Dan?"

"Nothing, I'm sorry. I was just so worried when I got your message." He pulls her into a careful hug, which she accepts without protest. "I'm sorry I wasn't there tonight, Chloe."

She allows herself to take comfort in his presence, knowing that however fucked up his priorities may be he'd never allow any harm to come to her if he could help it. "It's not your fault."

Dan just tightens his embrace before shaking his head. "Man, who would have ever thought I'd be thankful to have Lucifer trailing around after you all the time."

Dan's attempt at lightening the mood just brings her back to the reality of their situation, and the uncertainty of Lucifer's condition. She looks back to where Trixie is still watching over his bedside. Dan quickly notices that he's lost her attention, and releases his hold on her.

"I'm going to call the station, see if they've learned anything more." And with that he disappears down the hallway. Chloe goes over to stand next to her daughter, who's managed to hoist herself up onto the bed's railings.

"When will Lucifer wake up?" She looks back up at her mom, and Chloe can't bear the worry in her daughter's eyes.

"He'll wake up when he's ready - right now he needs to rest so he can get better."

"But he will get better?"

"I hope so." Chloe knows better than to make promises she can't keep. "Speaking of rest, it's way past your bedtime, weasel. Let's go find where your dad went off to so he can take you home."

"Can't we stay here?" Chloe is reminded of Trixie napping by her side during her own recent trip to the hospital. But this was different.

"Not tonight, Trix. I'm sure your dad will let you come back in the morning to check on Lucifer."

"Okay." The promise of coming back tomorrow seems to have worked, and Trixie scrambles up to press a quick kiss to Lucifer's check - something he would have never endured had he been awake for it. "Goodnight, Lucifer." Somehow Lucifer manages to look long-suffering even in his unconscious state, which brings a small smile to Chloe's lips.

She shuffles Trixie down the the hallway in the direction Dan had gone. When she finds him he looks visibly angry at whoever he's talking to, speaking harshly into his phone though she can't quite make out what he's saying. He ends the call just as he spots her.

"Was that the Sergeant? Do they know anything more about what happened?"

"The Sergeant I mean no, nothing new." Dan seems oddly cagey all of the sudden, though Chloe has no idea why he would be. Unless he's trying to hide the fact that she's a suspect or something, though she can't think why she would be. There was no evidence that it was anything more than improper storage of highly flammable materials and a gross negligence of fire codes. But she was still feeling a little on edge herself, so she chose not to call him on it.

"Maybe they'll know more by morning. Anyway, I need to go back and wait for the doctor, can you take Trix home? I'll let you know if anything changes here."

"Sure, but then you're going home to get some rest yourself, right?"

Chloe sighs. Things had been going so well for a few moments back there, and she's not yet ready to go back to arguing. Not tonight. "I'll get some rest soon." She hedges, but it's enough to satisfy her ex, who scoops up Trixie and carries her out after a quick goodbye.

Chloe returns to the room to find the doctor just finishing her check of Lucifer's vitals. She turns around at the sound of Chloe's approach.

"Hi, I'm Dr. Lin, and you are…?" Chloe hesitates for a moment, unsure what the nurse might have told the doctor and whether trying to explain her relationship with Lucifer will just delay finding out what condition he's in.

"I'm his…fiancé. Chloe Decker." At least that last part is true. "How is he?"

"He's doing better than expected considering the circumstances. The burns on his hands are pretty extensive, but thankfully not too deep. When he came in they had told us the burns were third degree, but they're really only second. The real trouble is the smoke inhalation. He's still having some difficulties breathing so we've got him on supplemental oxygen, and we're going to need to keep him for observation to make sure there's no permanent damage to the lung tissue."

The words 'permanent damage' and 'lung tissue' in such close proximity are not particularly reassuring, but the doctor seems optimistic. And Chloe is well aware how much worse it could have been, though she's not quite ready to deal with all the 'what ifs' just yet.

"How long will he have to stay?"

"We'll know more after the first 24 hours." Chloe tries not to get frustrated with the lack of definitive answers, when she knows the doctor is doing her best. "Will you be staying with him? I can get one of the nurses to bring in some extra blankets if you'd like."

The question catches her off-guard, and she agrees without really thinking about it. The doctor gives her a run down of the scheduled check ups that will occur every couple of hours throughout the night, along with how to reach her in case there is any change in his condition, before she's called off to another emergency.

"So we're engaged now, are we?" Chloe nearly jumps at the sound of his voice, hoarse and low in a way she's not used to. She turns to see him offering her a weak grin. "I must have missed the proposal - along with whatever knocked me out."

"Lucifer, the ceiling collapsed on you."

"That explains why I feel like the bloody wicked witch of the east after Dorothy dropped a house on her." He reaches up to tug at the oxygen tubes, but his bandaged hands won't seem to cooperate. Chloe reaches over to still them, not wanting him to hurt himself further.

"The doctor said you inhaled a lot of smoke, you need to keep that in."

Lucifer slumps back against his pillow. "Then I suppose I can suffer the indignity a little longer." His apparent indifference strikes a nerve with Chloe.

"You could have died!"

"And I would have been deeply embarrassed if that was how I went out. Though I have to admit, the irony of the situation isn't lost on me."

"Lucifer, you're not…you're not invincible. You can't just run into burning buildings like that!"

"I can if you're in them," he rasps out. Chloe's anger suddenly deflates, leaving only concern and something much deeper in its place.

"Can you at least promise me you won't rush blindly into any more life-threatening situations after this?"

"Some things are worth the risk."

His voice is broken but his gaze is steady. The moment suddenly feels heavy between them, and for a long time neither says anything else. Chloe finds herself carefully stroking Lucifer's wrist above the bandages, leaning over Lucifer's bedside.

Of course, any serious moments with Lucifer were bound to be short-lived. She notices the second his eyes shift down to where she is certain the V of her dress has dipped lower than intended, catching a glimpse of the lace edge of her bra.

"Expecting to get lucky tonight, Detective?"

Chloe quickly wraps the dress more tightly around herself, pulling away from Lucifer to cross her arms in front of her dress. Lucifer just laughs dryly at her chiding expression.

"Come on, love, let's have a look." He teases gruffly.

"What? No!"

"No? So then you didn't intend for anyone to ever see that lacy confection you have hidden beneath your dress?"

Chloe can't deny her earlier intentions, but obviously this isn't the time. Though apparently to Lucifer there's no such thing as a 'wrong' time. "We're in the hospital!"

"Yes, though by now we really should have been in my bedroom, with your little dress already on the floor." He leers, and at least his libido doesn't seem to have suffered from the accident.

"So sure of yourself, are we?"

"I believe it was you that decided on our third date." He had a point, there was no denying she had wanted this.

"I don't think tonight went as either of us planned."

"A small detour, that's all. I may have temporarily lost the use of my hands," he holds up the gauzy appendages to illustrate his point, "but you can still take off the dress yourself."

"What, just strip for you? Right here?" Her sarcasm is completely lost on the man.

"Better than morphine." He grins.

"Trust me when I say it will only make it worse." Likely for both of them, she muses.

"Only one way to find out…" Chloe still stands above him, unmoved. Which is when Lucifer decides to bring out the big guns. "You know, I think it would also be a very nice gesture to thank me for saving your life."

"I'm not going to reward stupidity. You could have gotten yourself killed in there."

Despite her words, she knows the battle is already lost. If she were being honest with herself, the fight had only been half-hearted anyway. Lucifer was right - no one wore lingerie like this just to keep it to themselves. She had wanted Lucifer to see her in it, and part of her still did. But she wasn't about to let him know that - especially when it was so much easier to blame his eagerness to see her.

"Fine." She sighs, still pretending that she's only agreeing to this under duress.

Lucifer perks up immediately, carefully tilting his head to better observe her. Chloe steps back from the bed, checking to make sure the door is closed and that no one can immediately see into the room before reaching for the tie at her waist. She quickly unwraps the dress, holding the sides open rather than letting it slip off. She's not quite up to a full-fledged striptease, or even simply taking off her dress. She does, however, give into the urge to pose a little bit, positioning her body to its best advantage.

Lucifer immediately lets out a frustrated groan in response, though he never once looks away. She watches his eyes trail up her stockings, now a little worse for the wear, to the rest of the set which managed to escape any ill effects of the fire. She can feel the heat in his gaze everywhere it touches, leaving her pleasantly warm despite the coolness of the room.

"Are you certain I can't tempt you into continuing with our former plans for the evening?" He manages to rasp out.

Chloe rolls her eyes as she closes her dress once more. "Lucifer, your hands are completely covered in bandages and you can barely breathe on your own right now - is that really all you can think of?"

"The fire didn't affect anything below the waist, Detective." He winks. "You'd be surprised what I can do without needing to use my hands."

And oh isn't that something to think about, Chloe imagines. Though the effect of his words is lost as soon as he starts coughing again. She reaches out a hand to steady him. "You do need to breath though, and I'm not about to try to fool around on a bed that rolls, in a room where anyone could walk in at any time."

"Doesn't that just make it more exciting though?" His voice is still rough, and Chloe gives him a wearied look in lieu of dignifying that with a response.

"Alright, raincheck it is."

Lucifer gives up more easily than she had expected, and it brings her attention back to how helpless he looks lying there. She can't imagine how exhausted he must be even carrying on his normal level of conversation with her, after all that's happened that night. She's pretty exhausted herself, and she's glad to see when he finally settles back against the pillows, allowing his eyes to slip closed again. She takes the opportunity to move towards the door.

"You're leaving?"

Even if she had actually been planning to leave, the look he's giving her now would have stopped her right in her tracks. Instead, she simply reassures him with a smile, "Just going to find some coffee before I drop."

"So you're staying then?" His eyes turn hopeful.

"Dr. Lin said someone should probably stay and help watch you tonight."

They're both aware the doctor said no such thing, but Lucifer looks pleased at her response all the same.

"Besides, what kind of fake fiancé would I be if I didn't stay?"


	9. Chapter 9

After work the following day Chloe finds Lucifer back at his own apartment, instead of at the hospital where he should have been. He's still pretty banged up and heavily bandaged, but he looks a little more like his old self in a pressed shirt and trousers, reclining leisurely is his own room. The sight of his bare feet at the end of the bed feels strangely intimate, but it's not enough to distract her from the lecture she's about to deliver.

"I called Dr. Lin to check on you today and she tells me you checked yourself out." Her hands have migrated to her hips of their own volition. "At this point I really shouldn't be surprised at your reckless behavior, but this is just beyond stupid."

"Why? Just because I left that dreary little hospital?" His voice is still rough from the smoke, though nowhere near as bad as last night's harsh rasping. This does little to temper Chloe's anger and concern.

"Against the doctor's orders! How'd you even get home?" She's imagining all sorts of terrible scenarios where he's attempting to drive himself or conning some nurse into giving him a ride home.

"Maze, of course." It appears they're back on speaking terms again. "A regrettable decision, however. It seems she found out about your little 'fiancé' scam from one of the nurses, and now there will be no end to her insubordination."

As if an insubordinate assistant is the problem! "Well where is Mazikeen now? Shouldn't she be taking care of you or something? You still need to change your bandages every few hours, and it's not like you can do that on your own right now."

"I'm sure I'll figure something out. Maze isn't exactly one for playing nursemaid. She's about as nurturing as a snake, really - the kind that eat their young."

"I don't think snakes do that." She's had enough trips to zoo with Trixie to know that much, at least.

"Then what am I thinking of?" Lucifer looks so charmingly puzzled she almost considers forgiving him his idiocy. Almost.

"Hamsters, maybe? I'm not sure Mazikeen would appreciate the comparison."

"Perhaps not." He smiles wryly, an expression that quickly morphs into self-satisfied grin. "I know, why don't you just help me with these bandages?" He seems far too pleased with his own cleverness.

"So now _I'm_ your nursemaid?" Unbelievable!

"No, you're my fiancé, remember? And I know you would't just abandon me to potential infection."

Her face heats up at being reminded again of her ill-advised lie, and she scowls in response. Both at the jab and because she knows he's right.

"Fine, but know that I am doing this under duress. It is only to prevent you making things worse and not because I condone you checking yourself out against medical advisement. Though really I should just drag you back to the hospital."

"Chloe…" He doesn't say it, but she can see the pleading in his expression. Apparently the 'lord of hell' isn't a big fan of hospitals, though she can't really blame him. Being there has a way of making you feel helpless, and reminding you of your own mortality. And while Lucifer could certainly use the occasionally healthy reminder of the fact that he's not invincible, now really doesn't feel like the right time. He might casually ignore his own mortality, but he's proven to be very aware of hers. And neither of them is ready to confront what might have happened if things had gone differently at the precinct.

She interrupts that maudlin train of thought by shifting into first aid mode. "Alright, did Dr. Lin send some supplies home with you at least?"

"Maze tossed it somewhere out near the front I suppose." He waves a bandaged hand towards the front rooms.

Chloe goes out in search for them, managing to find an intimidatingly heavy packet of care instructions, a collection of sealed sterile bandages, and several prescription bottles and tubes spread haphazardly across a table. She brings them all back with her, studying the instructions intently as she re-enters Lucifer's room.

"Surely it can't be that complicated?"

"Hush, I'm reading." Lucifer, surprisingly, manages to behave as she reads through the rest of the most salient points. But she can sense him getting restless again, and decides she'll review the rest of the info later. She's at least fairly certain she won't accidentally make things worse at this point.

"Ok, first we need to get rid of the soiled bandages." Lucifer screws up his face at this, but obediently holds out his bandaged hands towards her. She sits at the edge of the bed and unravels them slowly, doing her best not to wince at the blistered skin of his palms as they're slowly uncovered. It looks considerably better than what she remembers during their time with the paramedics, but it still looks pretty painful. Lucifer, strangely, looks down at his hands with more surprise at their burned state than any real indication of pain. Chloe wonders if she'll ever fully understand the man in front of her.

"Ok, it says that next we need to soak the burned area a bit, do you have any clean washcloths?" Lucifer nods at the adjacent bathroom, and Chloe returns with the too-nice linens, now dampened with cool water. Lucifer hisses a bit as she applies the cloths to his hands, and Chloe is torn between feelings of sympathy and near relief at the surprisingly normal response. She slips a dry towel beneath his hands to keep from drenching the entire bed.

"Any news about towering inferno formerly known as your evidence room?" He asks suddenly. Chloe recognizes the desire for distraction.

"Not much. They think it may have started in the bathroom next door - they share a wall that's not as thick as the rest. But they still can't tell what started it, since there's not exactly security cameras in the restrooms."

"Which anyone working at the station would know."

"The thought had occurred to me, but I don't know that it's anything related to Palmetto, and if it was intentional I don't think we were the intended targets. No one even knew I was looking into the suicide note."

"Except Dan." Lucifer reminds her. Chloe tenses up.

"You can't possibly be suggesting that Dan was involved." It's not a question.

"I've seen exes do worse." He shrugs, as if it's completely normal to suggest her former husband may have played a role in starting the fire that nearly killed both of them.

"Whatever you might think of him, Dan's a good man, and he was watching Trixie all night. He even told me how grateful he was that you were with me when it happened." She's not sure why she feels the need to defend Dan against Lucifer's ridiculous implication, but at least he manages to look appropriately chastised.

"Do the police have any suspects then?" He offers up as a white flag.

"They'll know more when they figure out the source of the fire. At least neither of us is a suspect. Small favors, at least." Lucifer hmms in agreement. "Alright, I think your hands are thoroughly soaked, time to put on this antibiotic ointment and then re-wrap them."

Lucifer opts this time to let her work in silence, keeping his fidgeting minimal as she tries to smooth over his palms and fingers with the antibiotic cream as gently as possible, taking care to avoid any deep breaks in the flesh. The rest of his skin still feels raw and too warm, and she feels relieved when she can finally re-bandage the injured appendages. She looks down at her handiwork approvingly.

"Well, you're all set for now at least. I should probably get home, but I can come back later to check on you." She offers.

"Leaving so soon?" The words are teasing, but there's something underneath them as well that makes her hesitate.

"Well, Trixie's at Dan's for another night, but I have a lot of things to catch up on at home." She stayed the whole of the previous night at Lucifer's bedside, only running home briefly before work to shower and change.

"Or you could stay here and keep me from dying of boredom." He grins in what he must think is a charming way, but Chloe only rolls her eyes.

"No one's ever died of boredom, you'll manage to survive somehow. And I can turn on the tv for you or something."

"As much as I'm sure I would enjoy watch the tawdry antics of the 'real housewives', I had a different form of entertainment in mind…" He leers.

"Lucifer, I already told you there's no way I'm even thinking about sleeping with you until the bandages come off and I know there's no permanent damage to your lungs."

"And just when will that be, exactly?"

"Dr. Lin said it would be another week or so. At least." She states as firmly as possible.

"One week it is then. Though I wasn't actually suggesting sex, so you can get your mind out of the gutter, Detective."

Like hell he wasn't suggesting that. But whatever, she'll play along if it means changing the subject to a safer topic. "And just what were you suggesting?"

"I was simply wondering if you might be willing to read to me, as I can't exactly turn the pages like this." Once again he holds up his hands in front of her in an obvious ploy for sympathy, and the sad part is it's actually working.

It's a small enough favor, at least. "Ok. Just for a little while, though. I really should get home at some point. What are you in the mood for?"

"Perhaps some Lawrence?" Chloe wanders out to look at the extensive library of books that line Lucifer's walls, finally beginning to believe that Lucifer really might just be a huge literary fan. Until she finally tracks down a copy of Lawrence.

"Lady Chatterley's Lover? Seriously?"

"It's a classic." She can actually hear him grinning from the other room. Once again she can feel her eyes rolling at his lack of subtlety, but she decides to go along with it. She's never actually read this particular novel, but she is aware of its status as a classic. How bad can it be?

She returns to Lucifer's room, seating herself on the bed by his hip. She falls back into her usual storytime habits, holding up the elegant leatherbound book for him to see before opening it to the first page and beginning to read in a carefully measured voice.

 _"Ours is essentially a tragic age, so we refuse to take it tragically. The cataclysm has happened, we are among the ruins, we start to build up new little habitats, to have new little hopes. It is rather hard work: there is now no smooth road into the future: but we go round, or scramble over the obstacles. We've got to live, no matter how many skies have fallen."_

So far so good, it certainly wasn't some trashy romance novel as she initially feared.

 _"This was more or less Constance Chatterley's position. The war had brought the roof down over her head. And she had realized that one must live and learn."_

"You can skip ahead a bit, perhaps to page 368?"

Figuring he had already started the book earlier - though why he had memorized the page number rather than just leaving a bookmark - she flips ahead to the prescribed page towards the end of the novel.

" _'Shan't you go up?' he said. 'There's a candle!'_

 _He jerked his head swiftly to indicate the candle burning on the table. She took it obediently, and he watched the full curve of her hips as she went up the first stairs._

 _It was a night of sensual passion, in which she was a little startled and almost unwilling: yet pierced again with piercing thrills of sensuality, different, sharper, more terrible than the thrills of tenderness, but, at the moment, more desirable."_ Chloe nearly slams the book shut. "Come on, seriously?"

"Keep going." When she looks over he's not laughing at her, and his face holds no trace of teasing. His eyes are darker now than they had been a few moments earlier, and something in his expression persuades her to continue.

 _"Though a little frightened, she let him have his way, and the reckless, shameless sensuality shook her to her foundations, stripped her to the very last, and made a different woman of her. It was not really love. It was not voluptuousness. It was sensuality sharp and searing as fire, burning the soul to tinder."_

Chloe feels herself growing warmer as she continues to read aloud the words before her. They're not even particularly explicit, but there's an intensity to them that burns beneath her skin. She can see a bit of herself in the heroine, and certainly more than a little of Lucifer in Mellors. She nearly laughs when she reaches bit about 'reckless devils', but the weight of Lucifer's gaze prevents her from doing so.

Both the scene and her own situation are filled with a piercing sensuality, and it's impossible to ignore the effect it's having on her. Perhaps this was Lucifer's intention all along? But when she dares to risk a glance over towards the man in question, he appears similarly afflicted. If he had planned this he clearly hadn't thought it all the way through. It occurs to her that Lucifer has suffered more from the constant interruptions to their intimate moments than she has - having had at least some relief rather recently - and that his current situation prevents him from even taking care of himself. So she's relieved when after a few short pages the novel drifts back into the more mundane aspects of the story, giving them both a chance to catch their breath a little.

When she spares another look towards her patient, he's sunk back into the pillows and his eyes are closed. He's not yet asleep, but near enough. Though he immediately rouses himself as she pauses in her reading.

"Stopping already? So much for stamina." He teases hoarsely.

"I have a seven-year-old at home, I'll have you know I can read all night. But you looked like you were about to fall asleep." She taunts back with a dig at his own claims of 'all night' stamina.

"Just enjoying the sound of you reading one of my favorite passages, I don't suppose there's any convincing you to continue on with one of Anais Nin's?"

"I may not have the page numbers memorized but I do read, Lucifer, and I know better than to fall for that again. How about some Charlotte's Web? That one always puts Trix to sleep."

"I'm not a child, Detective, and it's nowhere near my bedtime. Though I could perhaps be convinced…" He leers suggestively.

"It's still a week before you're cleared for anything more strenuous than tricking unsuspecting women into reading dirty books to you. Think of something else to do."

"How about a bath?" His expression is almost innocent, but she knows him too well to believe it.

"A bath?" She repeats incredulously.

"I still feel like I'm covered in ash, and I can't exactly take a shower like this." She wonders how often he's going to use his burned hands to talk her into things - likely more than is good for her.

"So you want me to draw you a bath?" She offers.

"I'm going to need a little more help than that." And he's doing it again, some sort of simultaneous puppy dog eyes/lecherous grin combination. It should look ridiculous, and it does, but it's also working.

In lieu of responding, she simply sighs and walks over to the bathroom, expecting him to follow. The bathtub itself is, of course, as extravagant as the rest of the house, and it takes her a few moments to figure out the taps, gauging the temperature with her forearm. She watches the tub fill for a few moments, before moving back. When she turns Lucifer is standing directly behind her, looking at her expectantly.

For some reason her mind hadn't fully processed that Lucifer would need help undressing as well. "Who even put you in all this?"

"Maze, of course. It wasn't a pleasant experience for either of us." He grimaces at the memory, and she can almost picture Makizeen roughly forcing him into his clothes with all the gentleness of a swarm of wasps.

Chloe sometimes wonders at their closeness, but there is an antagonism there that reminds her more of a familial relationship than a romantic one. And it's not like she's without her own baggage, so she mostly accepts their strange partnership, even if she does wonder at the number of times the other woman has probably seen Lucifer naked. She tries not to think of the countless other women who share this same intimate knowledge. Lucifer is here with her now, having just risked his own life in order to help her, and she has no reason to doubt his feeling for her, nor her own towards him.

Chloe takes a deep breath before standing again, turning to face Lucifer fully. This close it's impossible to miss the way his eyes darken as her fingers reach for his top button. She tugs it free carefully, doing her best to keep her breathing steady and even. It's just his shirt, after all, and she's seen Lucifer without one countless times before - this time should be no different. Except that it is, because this time she is the one in control, and right now she is close enough to feel the searing heat radiating from his skin as its slowly revealed. And the sharp intake of breath she hears as she's pulling his shirttails loose from his trousers prove that she's not alone in being affected by the situation and their nearness.

Freeing his bandaged hands from the tangle of shirtsleeves is significantly more awkward, and definitely less sexy, but oddly intimate in its own way. Because this isn't about sex - it's about Lucifer allowing her to see him vulnerable, and actually asking her for help without needing to make up some wild excuse. He patiently accepts her gentle assistance, for once not pushing for anything more or less than what she's offering.

But of course he can't quite suppress the grin that that makes its way to his lips as she reaches for his waistband. Chloe tries to remain very clinical and detached about the whole thing, but this is still pretty new territory for both of them. The sound of his zipper echoes loudly in the silence of the room, and she nearly gasps at the discovery that he's not wearing anything beneath. She's grateful that Lucifer seems alright to manage the rest by himself, as her hands are no longer quite as steady as when they began.

Still, she's able to help him carefully into the tub, mindful of keeping his hands out of the water. Her eyes focus on everything other than the miles of bare skin now in front of her, until at last he's finally submerged. Almost immediately she can see some of the tension drain from Lucifer's shoulders, and she can certainly appreciate the need to be completely cleansed of the smoke and ash that cling like a bad dream. His eyes flutter closed, and she carefully reaches into the water, scooping up small handfuls to pour across his shoulders and his hair. This isn't really the best position to try and wash it thoroughly, so she makes do with combing her fingers through the dark strands and rinsing it as well as she can, brushing across his shoulders and neck with each fresh handful of water. He leans into her touch, simply allowing her to take care of him, and she can't help the smile that creeps onto her face. It's all very domestic, and sweet in a way she hadn't expected with him.

Satisfied that his hair is as clean as it's going to get, she steps away to dry off. His eyes open as she moves off the side of the tub, and his he tilts his head to look back up at her just as she's making her way out of the room.

"Detective, aren't you going to join me?" The dea is certainly not without its appeal, though this isn't exactly what she had imagined when he first asked for her help. She's considering it though, and Lucifer jumps on the fact that she doesn't immediately refuse. "There's room enough for two in here."

Really there's more than enough space to fit at least four people in the rather generous tub, and Chloe thinks to herself it's been quite some time since she had the luxury of long soak in a real bath. She quickly weighs out the pros and cons of joining him - eventually she is won over by the temptation of a very naked, very wet Lucifer looking up at her with one of his rare, honest smiles. They've suffered from far too many interruptions and setbacks lately, and they deserve this small moment of peace and intimacy.

Chloe strips quickly, pushing past any lingering nervousness at having him watching her so obviously. There's no fancy lingerie beneath her practical work clothes, but the way that Lucifer nearly growls at the sight of her mismatched underwear does wonders for her confidence. They end up tossed on the floor along with the rest of her clothing before she's slipping too quickly over to the opposite side of the tub, splashing water onto the floor in her haste. She feels a little less overwhelmingly exposed under the cover of the water, despite the fact that her breasts are still very clearly visible - judging by the way that Lucifer's eyes linger below her throat. But he's not making any moves towards her, or attempting to turn this into something more than it is, and so she relaxes too, allowing her head to loll back against the lip of the tub. She enjoys a few moments of peace before Lucifer again breaks their silence.

"I believe this is the part where I casually reassure you that I won't bite - even though I certainly would - before inviting you to come closer."

And Chloe has to laugh at the wolfish grin that accompanies his request. Normally she'd think up some clever response to refuse his offer, but this time she decides to simply play along. His grin grows even wider as she slips over nearer to him. She can't help but poke fun at the expression.

"My, what big teeth you have…"

"All the better to eat you with, my dear." She huffs out a laugh at his answer. This is certainly a very different version of The Little Red Riding Hood than she remembers. She's really hoping she won't end up blushing the next time she's confronted with Grimm's Fairy Tales.

When Chloe finally reaches him, she twists around until she can press her back carefully into his chest, curling contentedly into his frame and allowing their legs to tangle together. She can feel him half-hard against her lower back, but there's no urgency to it.

"Isn't this the part where you remark on the largeness of the rest of my anatomy?" He prompts teasingly, unable to resist continuing their little game.

"My, what a big ego you have…" She taunts back, but he just chuckles at her response.

They fall into a comfortable silence after that, Chloe running her fingers carefully along the parts of Lucifer that she can reach. He hums contentedly behind her, occasionally pressing a soft kiss to the side of her neck, but going no further. The exhaustion of the past couple days seems to catch up with them both, and by the time they notice the water has cooled they're both nearly half asleep.

"I know it's not quite dark yet, but you should really get some rest." She offers again, and this time he doesn't argue with her suggestion. She leaves the comforts of the tub first, wrapping herself in a towel before helping Lucifer to stand so she can dry him off. She then helps him to slip on a pair of soft boxer-briefs retrieved from his room before leading him back to his bed. He even submits to her her tucking him under the blankets.

"You deserve some rest too, Detective." He offers up lazily, already settling back into the many pillows behind him.

"I'll get some when I get home, I…" She assures before he quickly interrupts.

"I meant with me. Plenty of room here as well." He glances toward the unoccupied side of the bed. And it's kind of a big step, sleeping over when they haven't even slept together, but the unpleasant thought of going home to an empty house and sleeping alone after everything else makes the decision for her. She returns to the bathroom, slipping on her underwear and Lucifer's discarded shirt before toweling off the damp ends of her hair, taking a moment to herself to reaffirm that she's making the right decision.

The whole situation feels very post-coital - bathing here, wearing his clothes, her bare legs on display as she gets ready for bed. It actually sort of fits in a strange way, keeping with the way they've done this whole relationship thing completely backwards. But Lucifer has never been one to go about things in the normal fashion, and she realizes she wouldn't have it any other way.

Lucifer's surprise at her easy acceptance is pretty apparent when she returns to the bedroom wearing nothing but his shirt, and he grants her another one of those smiles that she's begun to think of as her own. She slips easily beneath the covers, curling into his side. His arm moves naturally around her shoulders, his bandaged hand resting carefully against her. Their bodies shift into place like this is what they were made for, and its a dizzying sensation though at the same time she's never felt more at ease. Thoughts of Lucifer and fate flit through her head and she gradually drifts off to sleep within his arms.


	10. Chapter 10

They don't even make it a week.

Chloe wakes up a few hours later, still curled within the safety of Lucifer's arms. Sometime during their short nap his other arm had made its way to wrap around her shoulders, and his legs have tangled up with her own. His chest is warm beneath her cheek and Chloe almost giggles at the idea of Lucifer being a cuddler. It wasn't something she had really expected from the man, but then again he's always been everything but predictable. And she's certainly not bothered by this new development. She takes a few moments to enjoy the gentle intimacy of their intertwined bodies before she reluctantly pulls away.

Chloe soon discovers that Lucifer is also apparently a light sleeper, as he wakes almost immediately when he senses her moving away.

"Detective?" The pleasant rumble of his sleep-roughened voice is almost enough to tempt her back into the bed. Still, she takes pity on him.

"I'm not leaving." She assures him in a quiet voice. "It's just been a few hours and I should really check your hands again."

"But my hands are right here…" He pouts, still too groggy from sleep to be embarrassed by his petulance. He's turned on his side to face her, eyes half-lidded and sheets pooling around his naked waist. She nearly gives in at the sight.

"I'll just go get the bandages and some washcloths, I'll be right back." With one last look back at Lucifer, she hurries to locate the supplies. Within a few moments she's back at his side, encouraging him to sit up on the bed so she can more easily reach his hands. She, in turn, kneels across from him, carefully unraveling her earlier work.

She frowns without quite meaning to. His hands look a lot better now, which is good…sort of. Chloe's had some pretty bad burns before, and she knows they take an unbearably long time to heal. She tries to think back, wondering if she was just misremembering the extent of his injuries. His palms still look pretty rough, having had the most contact with the searing metal - both still blistered and raw - but she finds that his fingers are just pink and pale with scar tissue. They probably don't even need bandaging. Nonetheless, she still soaks them with the washcloth, wondering if the cool water is having some sort of freak accelerated effect on his healing.

Lucifer merely watches her intently as she works, no longer seeking to distract either of them with conversation. The quietness of the evening wraps softly around them, enveloping the two of them in this little private moment. To think that she once revolted at the very idea of looking after him, even professionally, and now here she was spending her whole night tending to his needs by choice. Equally novel is the certainty that he would do the same for her - having already proven himself many times over. And that makes all the difference to her.

With Lucifer's hands now carefully dried and safe from infection, she sets about rewrapping his hands, this time leaving his fingers free from the gauze. Something about the closeness of the moment inspires her to place a small kiss on each of his fingertips, delighting in Lucifer's sharp intake of breath at each gesture. She knows well enough that it's not actually possible to kiss something better, but she still feels compelled to try for some reason.

When she chances to look back up at his face, Lucifer's eyes are nearly black in the low light. With a soft groan he swiftly captures her lips, his mouth insistent against her own. His arms draw her closer in, and she's not sure whether the sounds that manage to escape his throat are a pained response at attempting to use his injured hands or from pleasure at the feeling of her chest pressed against his own. But he continues to draw her in further, with warm mouth and even warmer hands, and somehow she ends up practically straddling his lap.

Their new position puts her at the perfect height to meet his kiss, and brings their hips maddeningly close. She can't help but press further into him, bringing the length of him firmly into contact with her core even through the layers of clothing that separate them. Lucifer's moaned response is certainly not borne out of pain.

His fingers run gently along her back and hips, the tenderness somewhat at odds with the intensity of the kiss. Her own hands have already found their way to tangle into his thick hair, alternating gentle strokes with brief tugs at the strands between her fingers. Lucifer appears to thoroughly enjoy both - though the way his hips surge up to meet her at a particularly rough tug make her think he might like this best.

His lips suddenly break from her own to trail along her jaw, nipping carefully at the place behind her ear that always makes her melt. Her fingers tighten in his hair as his stubble scrapes teasingly along her neck, and they both groan at the sensation. His fingertips slip up beneath the hem of her shirt - _his_ shirt - to drag carefully across over sensitized skin, leaving a trail of heat in their wake. He pulls back to watch her reactions.

"Have I mentioned just how bloody gorgeous you look wearing my shirt?" As he asks this his fingers glide slowly up her back and sides, bandaged palms tickling her skin, and mapping out the spots that makes her shiver.

"Hmm, not yet…" She responds breathlessly, still dizzy with sensation.

"Well if you're fishing I'll gladly bite." His smile reveals nearly all of his teeth in a not so subtle hint at the double meaning of his words. "Darling, you look like temptation itself. If it were up to me, you'd never be allowed to wear anything else." His fingers now trace at the underside of her breasts, and she can't help the gasp that escapes her lips.

"I'm not sure how well that would go over at the precinct…" She demurs.

"Oh I'd pay to see Detective Douche's face at the sight of you wearing my shirt." His smile has grown even more sinister, and in this moment he looks every inch the devil he claims to be.

"And if I showed up at Lux like this?" She taunts back - though somehow Lucifer can immediately see right through her irreverent tone. His response is entirely sincere.

"I believe I'd equally enjoy having you so visibly marked as my own in front of all those depraved revelers."

"Even the Brittanys?"

" _Especially_ the Brittanys - if you'd like, I would certainly be willing to ravish you atop the bar one evening. If you still doubt my fidelity?"

Something in her chest tightens at his words, just as new heat pools between her legs at the idea of him taking her so brazenly. "Nope, no doubts. Why don't you just ravish me here instead?"

"Gladly, Detective."

Swiftly he flips their positions so that she is now pressed against the pillows beneath him, in a move that should not have been possible for a man only just returned from the hospital. But this time she chooses not to question the improbabilities, and focus on the sensation of Lucifer above her, holding himself up on his elbows even as his hips press more firmly between her own. She pulls him back down into another toe-curling kiss, fingers drawing carefully across his back, barely tracing the edge of his scars. Lucifer shudders above her, but doesn't pull away from the touch. Instead he shifts a hand between them, tugging at the buttons of her shirt.

Chloe patiently allows him to fumble with the shirt for a few moments before a pained hiss reminds her that his fingers still aren't fully healed. She gently shifts his hands away and takes over undoing the buttons herself, while Lucifer sits back to watch. She slowly tugs each button free, revealing only a small sliver of skin and she works her way down. As she reaches the end she brings Lucifer's hands down to part the fabric fully. His fingers skim across her ribs as he draws the shirt aside, and Chloe arches up into the touch. Lucifer's grin turns predatory at the sight, and he immediately swoops down to bite at her exposed collarbone, breath hot against her bare skin. Her fingers dig into his shoulders as his lips trail down to her chest, anchoring herself lest she float away at the sensation. When his lips finally reach the tips of her breasts she tightens her hold around him, legs wrapping around his waist as he sucks first one nipple then its twin into his mouth.

Something coils tightly low in her belly as Lucifer continues his ministrations, and soon she's rocking up restlessly against him, seeking more and more friction. She can feel Lucifer smiling against her breasts, and he pulls away briefly to grin up at her. She meets his grin with raised eyebrows and an impatient look, silently commanding him to get back to it. Lucifer immediately complies, nipping at the underside of one breast before returning his attention to the tightened buds. Chloe can't believe how close she is just from this alone, but it's still not quite enough, and after all he _had_ boasted about all he could do without needing his hands.

Lucifer's rumbling chuckle against her skin makes her realize she's been pressing at his shoulders and hips, trying to guide him down to where she suddenly wants him. And of course Lucifer can't resist teasing her further, slowly dragging his lips down her stomach, tongue dipping into the indent of her bellybutton, and spending more time than was entirely necessary alternating small nips and sucking kisses against her hipbones. Marking her, she realizes, which only sends another pulse of throbbing heat between her legs. When he finally reaches the waistband of her panties, she almost breathes out a sigh of relief, until Lucifer suddenly pulls away entirely.

Chloe's not proud of the sound she makes when Lucifer sits back, and she will gladly leave it out of her recollection of this evening, though Lucifer's grin suggests he will not soon be forgetting it. The smug bastard merely unwraps her legs from waist before bending down to run his lips along the inside of her right leg, starting at her ankle. He's excruciatingly thorough, dragging soft lips and prickly stubble against every inch of her legs, and Chloe's hands nearly tear at Lucifer's sheets to keep from just dragging his mouth right where she wants it. But he's finally so close, teeth sinking carefully into her inner thigh, near enough that she can almost feel his breath against the damp cotton of her underwear. Chloe braces herself as his lips trail nearer, only to be frustrated once more as he shifts back to repeat the same treatment to her other leg.

And it has been months now - months of endless innuendo and interruptions and touches that never go far enough and Chloe finally can't take it anymore. She frees her leg from Lucifer's grasp only to pull him back down to her with ankles wrapped around his neck and shoulders. Lucifer just laughs as his nose is pressed into her belly with the force of her grip, but he seems to take the hint at least, finally reaching down to drag her underwear over her hips and then off to some unknown part of his bedroom, though she still remains tangled up in his open shirt.

And apparently he's not quite done teasing her yet, as he bends down to breath hotly against the sensitive skin of her core before finally _finally_ pressing his mouth against her skin, clever tongue tracing along the seam of her before swiftly plunging in. His fingertips dig into her hips as he alternates licking and suckling at her, soft and firm in equal measures, immediately figuring out which spots draw out the best responses from her. The roughness of his fingertips digging into the flesh of her hips and rough scrape of his stubble serves as the perfect counterpoint to the softness of his mouth. And she's almost willing to admit he's as good as he claims if he'll just never stop doing this.

As Lucifer's lips and tongue work tirelessly against her, Chloe's hips press up to meet his every move. His hands at her hips encourage her to rock against him, and she finds the shared control even more gratifying. Her fingers tangle into his hair once more, less to guide him than to spur him on. Her nails scrape along his skull, and she can feel the responding groan vibrating straight into her core. She repeats the motion again, occasionally tugging at strands as her fingers tighten within them.

He's practically growling against her now, and she honestly has no idea what sort of sounds she's making at this point - only that Lucifer seems to appreciate them. He continues alternating between broad strokes of his tongue and sucking kisses into the little bundle of nerves that's driving her crazy, always keeping her right at the edge. Whenever she gets too close he draws her right back from the precipice with soft kisses against her center. That same wicked tongue that could draw out people's deepest desires was now fulfilling all of her own. A quick glance down at the the sight of his mouth buried between her thighs brings her right back to where she was, teetering on the edge of release, and she can no longer tell if she wants this to end or to keep going on forever.

" _Please,_ " she's not even sure what she's asking for, only that she wants more of it.

Lucifer smiles against her but finally lets up with his teasing, maintaining a perfect rhythm against her swollen clit. The bandaged hands at her hips now hold her steady as she moves helplessly against the onslaught of his tongue, and she's once again amazed at the trust she feels for this man, completely unselfconscious in her vulnerability here. He traces soothing circles against her hips with his thumbs, and it's this that finally brings her over the edge - the softness of the gesture completely at odds with the strength of the sensation. Chloe nearly blacks out with the force of her orgasm, but Lucifer eases her through it, prolonging her release until she's pushing back at his shoulders, the sensation almost overwhelming her. It's nearing the edge of too much when he finally pulls away, pressing soft kisses against her belly as she shudders through the aftershocks.

Afterwards, Chloe sinks bonelessly into the pillows behind her, a satisfied grin stretching across her face even as she struggles to catch her breath. When she dares to look down at Lucifer his smile mirrors her own, and she can't help but drag him up for another kiss, tasting herself on his lips.

The kiss itself is slow and languorous, even as Lucifer settles back into the cradle of her thighs, the length of him pressing hard and urgent against her center. Despite her recent orgasm, she feels an answering wave of heat coursing through her once again. Shakily she wraps her legs around his hips once more, urging him to press against her more firmly. Lucifer takes the hint and soon his hips are rolling against her throbbing core. Meanwhile, Chloe's hands are tugging at Lucifer's waistband, a clumsy attempt to rid him of the final barrier that separates them. Lucifer breaks their kiss to grin down at her.

"Greedy little thing, aren't we?"

Chloe's face heats with embarrassment. "Shut up - this is all your fault you know. You've been teasing me for months."

"Think about how I feel," he laments, punctuating his remark with another roll of his hips. "We could have been doing this ages ago."

Chloe shakes her head. "I'm not so sure we could have - between work and the fire and our lives always getting in the way…"

"Does this mean you believe in fate, Detective?" Chloe can only roll her eyes in response to the teasing comment.

"Please tell me you're not about to say something about your dick being a religious experience." Lucifer looks almost offended that she would even suggest that, though it's nowhere near the most ridiculous thing he's said to her. She continues on more seriously, "I don't know, I mean, I don't believe in heaven and hell and all that, but maybe it's possible that there's something more out there in the universe. But in the end I believe our destiny is whatever we make of it."

"I certainly would like to think I changed mine." His words bring them back to the present moment, and the shared knowledge of how far they'd come since that first meeting.

"I'm glad you did."

Lucifer's eyes darken as the weight of her words hits him. He moves to capture her lips once more, the kiss all heat and barely restrained intensity. His hips press insistently against her own, and her arousal returns full force as she bucks up to greet him. Her lips shift down to his neck, parting to allow blunt teeth to sink into his throat. Lucifer goes completely still above her for a moment, breath coming out in choked gasp, before resuming his thrusting with renewed vigor.

At the same time, Chloe can feel the tension running through Lucifer's body - the position forcing him to support most of his weight on his forearms to avoid furthering injuring his hands. She doesn't doubt that he could keep this up for as long as he wishes, or that he'd just as easily risk the pain for this. But she doesn't want him to come to any further harm on her behalf, and resolves to take care of him for now.

Chloe flips their positions easily, with a move that Lucifer might have more easily countered if he had full use of his hands. But as it is he doesn't put up much of a fight, allowing Chloe to press him back against the headboard, half-propped up against the pillows. She finally manages to rid herself of Lucifer's shirt, enjoying the cool air of the room against her overheated skin. Another obvious benefit of this new arrangement is that it frees up Lucifer's hands to skim along her thighs, but Chloe just takes them into her own and presses them gently back into the pillows above his head.

"Kinky," Lucifer teases breathlessly, to which Chloe simply quirks her eyebrow.

"Weren't you the one insisting you could do this without your hands?"

" _Touché._ "

Chloe takes advantage of this newly granted access to resume kissing and biting at his throat, dragging out a litany of appreciative noises from the man below her. She considers trailing further downwards, but they're both well past the point of needing more than this. Her hands reach for his waistband once more, this time easily slipping the material over slender hips and baring him fully to her gaze. He looks almost inhumanly beautiful like this, all laid out before her in the dim light of the room. She takes his achingly hard cock in her hand, giving it a few slow strokes as she watches Lucifer's head fall back with a groan.

"Condom?" She can feel them both growing impatient for the main event.

"Top left drawer…" He manages to grit out, and Chloe leans awkwardly to reach into the nightstand beside her. She shifts back over him, foil packet in hand. She kisses him once more before reaching between them to slide the barrier over his length. She settles once more above him, the tip of him poised at her entrance.

Her gaze locks with his as she slowly slides down over him, enjoying the delicious stretch of it as he gradually fills her. Her hands gently press against Lucifer's wrists where they still lay obediently above his head, but Lucifer's expression is anything but restrained. She can feel him almost shaking with the effort it takes to remain still as she lowers herself onto him with agonizing slowness. She pauses for a few moments when she meets his hips once more, enjoying the pleasant fullness of having him finally inside her.

Afterwards, she gives an experimental roll of her hips, and Lucifer practically growls beneath her. She feels oddly powerful in this moment, and continues to grind in maddening slow circles even as Lucifer attempts to urge her on faster. Surprisingly, he manages to keep his hands restrained even without her help.

Eventually, she takes pity on them both and increases her pace. Lucifer sits up to meet her in a passionate kiss, hands finally moving to drape carefully around her waist, still keeping their unspoken promise. His lips, however, trail recklessly across her jawline and neck, sucking at her throat and groaning at the answering clench of her inner muscles. He bends slightly to fasten his mouth once more on her breasts, and she arches up sharply to meet him.

 _"Lucifer,"_ she gasps out.

This angle now is even better than before, the friction against her clit almost too much, and she can feel them both getting close. She drags Lucifer away from her chest to pull him into another kiss, though soon it is reduced to barely more than breathing in each other's air and swallowing the sounds of their pleasure.

Lucifer breaks his silent vow at last, slipping a hand between them to bring her over the edge once more. Chloe almost collapses against him as she comes for a second time, but manages to maintain some semblance of a rhythm until Lucifer follows her into his own release, arms tightening around her as he groans out her name.

His head drops to rest heavily against her chest while her fingers card through his hair, both of them slowly coming down from the intensity of their climax. They continue to cling to one another like this for several long moments, reveling in the continued intimacy of their joining. Chloe presses a gentle kiss to the top of his head before finally urging Lucifer to lie back once more, making quick work of cleaning them both up before slipping back beside him.

"You cheated, you know," she murmurs sleepily against his chest. "You said no hands."

She can feel his low chuckle rumbling through his chest. "I somehow think you'll find it in your heart to forgive me."

"Or maybe you can make it up to me in the morning?" Chloe feels suddenly bold in her satiated near-sleep.

"Whatever you wish, Detective." He whispers against the top of her head just as she drifts off to sleep once more, curled within the protective circle of his arms.


End file.
